


Unraveled: Prologue

by dongyrn



Series: MCU: Unchained [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family, More Mystical Crap To Doom The World, Sisterhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 03:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9301364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dongyrn/pseuds/dongyrn
Summary: Third story in the Unchained series and sequel to Unbound. Caitlin and Rebecca are called in to help S.H.I.E.L.D. nail down a particularly elusive burglar. Of course, it's never quite as easy as that, and the results might just be catastrophic. This is a prologue to a longer story arc I will be writing within the X-Men: The Movie category.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Standard Disclaimer:** All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily Marvel, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing aside from my OCs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a continuation of several others. It might actually be considered the third story that started with _[Unchained](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9282002)_. I highly recommend going back and reading at least that story and then _[Unbound](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9300533)_ in order for this one to make sense.

Steve Rogers stood at one end of the cavernous warehouse, flexing the hand that held his shield's strap. He surveyed the obstacle-filled room, looking for the easiest path towards their objective.

"Alright," he stated, turning towards the rest of the Avengers team with him. "Let's do this. War Machine, Vision, take to the air, left and right flanks."

Both of the heroes nodded wordlessly and took flight, one on roaring thrusters while the other was silent and smooth in his motions.

"Falcon, you're on the ground with us for now, rear guard, but be ready to get airborne as needed. Wanda, stick to my side, I'll give you cover to blast any opposition."

"It will be my pleasure," Wanda grinned, wiggling her fingers as she accompanied Captain America forward. "Do you think they will hit us soon, or at the end?"

"Natasha's running the exercise," Rogers commented grimly. "So the answer is, yes."

Sam chuckled, his guns held upright and goggles settled over his face. "Don't forget her little surprise."

Rogers glanced over his shoulder curiously. "Did she tell you what it was?"

"Nope, I'm just as much in the dark as you, Cap." His head swiveled. "Movement on the right flank."

"Vision, you got them?" Rogers asked into his comm.

"Affirmative, Captain, I am engaging," the android replied smoothly. Sounds of combat sounded nearby, and a shiny metallic object arced over the high wall to land at their feet. Wanda nudged it with her foot, rolling it over to reveal the visage of one of the combat simulation droids.

"Is this a new model?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, Stark sent us a new batch," Rogers replied as they moved forward. "From what Nat said, it took quite a few trucks."

"So… figure on a whole shitload of 'em," Sam grunted. "Hey, she wouldn't be mean enough to throw both the old and new models at us at the same time, would she?"

Rogers stopped and glanced at him, his face telling him everything he needed to know.

"Dammitall," the Falcon sighed. "We're screwed."

"Do not be such a grumpyman," Wanda chuckled. "That honor goes to War Machine."

"I heard that," Rhodes complained over the comm. "And I've got a group of 'bots moving in from my flank. Engaging now."

The sound of gunfire echoed through the area, bouncing off of the many walls of varied height. There were protrusions overhead as well, making straight flying near impossible and obstructing much of the line-of-sight for the team.

"Why haven't they engaged us yet?" Sam muttered worriedly.

"Careful what you wish for," Rogers retorted. "Keep moving, objective's still in that direction."

The group came to a halt around the next bend as the path branched out both ways.

"Well, shoot," Rogers sighed. "Falcon, gimme some recon, huh?"

"On it, Cap," he replied as he took flight. Rogers and Wanda stood back-to-back, each facing one branch and waiting for the enemy to make an appearance.

"Alright, I got us a path," Sam reported over the comm. "Down this way, see where I'm at?"

Rogers glanced over to see the Falcon hovering in place, just in time to spy a small, black-clad figure drop down from an overhead beam.

"Sam, look out!" he barked, but by that point, it was entirely too late. The figure landed on Sam's back, stabbing him with some sort of electrical device that stunned him into unconsciousness. Both of them dropped down behind a concealing wall.

"Damn," Rogers growled, irritated at himself for getting them so spread out already. Dimly he realized that Natasha, who might very well be the mysterious dark figure, might have planned on this. "Falcon is down. War Machine, Vision, close up. You copy?"

There was a moment's silence over the comm which made Rogers' brows furrow in concern until they answered.

"Affirmative, Captain," Vision replied.

"Yeah, I'm almost free of these bastards, they're pretty tough for- Shit!" Rhodes voice rose to a panicked shout. "Something's on my back, sensors are down, projectile hit me-"

And then his transmission cut off. In the distance, a resounding crash of sound indicated that War Machine as well was now out of the fight.

"On his back?" Wanda murmured anxiously. "Same person as took out Sam?"

"No, too far away… I'm betting it's a pair of someones," Rogers murmured back, scanning for the attack he knew to be impending.

"Pair of… I did not know they were in town."

"Neither did I, but I'm guessing that was Nat's surprise."

"Aw, you guessed it already, Cap," Natasha's voice broke in over their comm. "By the way, mission parameters have changed. You now have five minutes to reach the objective before it detonates."

"Detonates?" Rogers exclaimed. "Nat, you are an evil woman."

"Flatterer. Better get your ass moving."

Captain America sighed as he heard the approaching metallic footsteps. "Right, change of plans. Vision, break off and head directly for the objective. Wanda and I will tie down their forces here."

"On my way," Vision replied. He had just gotten within visual range when he veered off again to follow his orders.

"Do you think they'll be with this wave?" Wanda asked, flexing her fingers again anticipatorily.

"That'd be my guess," Rogers affirmed as the first of the robots rounded the corner and broke into a run. "Stay ready."

The new combat prototypes were indeed more advanced that the older ones. Those in the first rank were able to dodge his shield when he flung it, though it bounced off of the second rank, felling several of them. Rogers leapt into the air, catching it on the fly before launching himself into the fray.

Wanda was uncomfortably reminded of the battle in Sokovia those many months ago as she used her telekinetic powers to blast away at the attacking robots. They were significantly dissimilar, more human-like and less Ultron-like, which was likely by Stark's design, but still, she felt a pang of loss as she remembered the last time she and her brother fought together. She had little time to reminisce, however, as she spied a small, dark figure sprinting up behind the attacking robots.

"Wanda," Rogers warned loudly.

"I see her," she replied, sending a blast outwards. Several robots were toppled but the figure slid in on its side, down below the force of the blast. She sent another wave of force out, deflecting the figure's course, though it seemed to have been at an angle in the first place. Now that they were closer, Wanda could confirm that the figure was indeed that of an athletically slim girl.

The black-clad girl bounced to the side from Wanda's defense and rolled right into Rogers, knocking him off of his feet.

Wanda bit back a curse, bringing her arm back to batter the girl away, but found herself suddenly flung onto her face from an impact to her back. She had the wind knocked out of her but she could feel the pressure of another figure straddling her back.

"Hi, Wanda!" Caitlin's voice chirped from behind before she jabbed the stunner into the woman's side. She jumped nimbly off, narrowly avoiding Rogers' flung shield, to land next to her sister.

"Hello, Captain Rogers," Rebecca's muffled voice came from the first figure as she crouched in a combat stance.

"Becca, Cat," Rogers sighed as he retrieved his shield.

"Surprise!" Caitlin grinned as she slipped her mask off, revealing a mess of curly brown hair.

He kept his shield defensively up and in front of him, not fooled in the least by their disarming attitude. "Nat call you two in?"

Rebecca slipped her own mask off, shaking out her long red hair which had been tied back into a simple ponytail. "Indeed. She felt you needed to be challenged."

"Consider me challenged." Rogers eyed the pair of unassuming girls as they circled him to face opposite sides.

Before they could make any further moves, Vision's voice came across the comm. "Captain, I am at the objective's location but it is no longer here."

"Oh, yeah, and we moved your target," Caitlin snickered. "Just to up the challenge."

"Really?" Rogers deadpanned.

"Tic toc, Captain," Rebecca smirked.

"Time's a-wastin'," Caitlin added with an identical smirk.

Captain America wasn't about to give up just yet. "Vision, scan the area, find it soon. How long?"

"Two minutes and thirty-seven seconds," Vision replied.

"Well, I'll keep our hosts occupied until then," Rogers sighed once more, settling himself into his own combat stance.

"Why, Cap, are you asking us to dance?" Caitlin giggled.

Before Rogers could issue a retort, he felt more than saw or heard Rebecca launch herself forward. He brought his shield up and around to deflect the foot aimed at his head, swinging his arm around to block the kick that Caitlin had sent out a split second later. Soon he was dodging and blocking for all he was worth as he was rapidly attacked from both sides.

He dimly noted that their coordination had improved greatly. At times it was like they were reading each other's minds, or perhaps they were simply able to interpret each other's moves that quickly. Rebecca would attack high and Caitlin would do the same low, but when Rogers would go to block they would quickly change their attack angles in mid-strike to hit his unprotected flanks.

He could really use an extra set of arms right about now.

Eventually, Rogers lost his shield as it was torn from his grasp by Caitlin. She tossed it behind her strongly enough that it flew perhaps thirty yards before rolling to a stop.

"Ready to give up yet?" Caitlin asked with a grin.

"Ain't… gonna… happen…" he panted in reply. "Vision? Status?"

He groaned slightly as he received no reply. The overhead lights came up, shining brightly to illuminate the carnage of metal corpses below.

"Time's up!" Natasha called out cheerfully via the overhead speakers.

"I'm guessing Vision ran into our other surprise," the brunette girl snickered as she walked around the beleaguered Captain America.

"Most likely," her redheaded sister said calmly as she linked her arm through Caitlin's. They walked off together around the corner, back towards the entrance.

Rogers shook his head, glancing down at the groaning form of Wanda. "What other surprise?" he wondered out loud.

Just then he heard additional footsteps from behind and turned to see Hawkeye walk by in the same direction the Brown sisters had gone.

"Captain," he nodded to him in a friendly way as he passed. "Rhodey's gonna be awhile, his systems need to reboot still.

Chuckling despite himself, Captain America shook his head once more. "EMP arrow?" he called out to Clint's retreating back.

"I got _all_ the toys," Clint replied merrily as he rounded the corner.

Perhaps a half hour later Rogers entered the debriefing lounge, freshly showered and his humor somewhat restored. The Avengers had decided to use the more comfortable settings after training exercises and missions to relax while going over what went wrong.

Today's session was going to be a long one.

As he walked into the room he noted that everyone else had already assembled. Wanda and Vision were sitting close together as usual, the brunette woman sprawled out on the couch and rubbing her sore side. Rhodes looked the freshest of the group, having sat out much of the fight inside an inoperative suit, while Barton, Natasha, and Caitlin sat around a small table and talked quietly.

Sam was sitting in a comfortable chair with Rebecca in his lap. She was carefully applying a bandage to his forehead which must have gotten banged up when he fell.

"I still can't believe you took me down," Sam was grumbling.

"If it were Caitlin, you would have been upset with her," Rebecca answered calmly, finishing up her work.

"So you think I wouldn't get mad at you?" he retorted irritably.

"That is correct." The petite redhead leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on the bandaged spot, the bright patch showing up starkly against his dark skin.

"Girl," he sighed, his irritation bleeding away. "You are so…"

"Adorkable!" Caitlin called out from across the room.

Rebecca shot her sister a glare, but Sam just chuckled. "Well, that goes without saying, but hell. I wouldn't want you any other way."

"Truly?" she asked quietly, her pale green eyes wide and shiny.

"You bet," Sam grinned, giving her a quick kiss.

"Then I am the most fortunate girl in the entire world to have met you," Rebecca sighed as she snuggled into his side.

Rogers cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the public display of affection. It seemed that he might be the only one in the room to feel that way, though. "Alright, folks, let's go over-"

He was interrupted by a voice over the facility's intercom. "Captain Rogers, Caitlin Brown, Rebecca Brown, please report to the Director's office immediately."

The sisters glanced at each other guiltily. "We didn't do anything this time, did we?" Caitlin gulped.

"No, not since we were reprimanded last," Rebecca replied as she gracefully rose to her feet. She was clad in her usual casual attire of jean shorts and a crop top, this one a brilliant royal blue color.

"Didn't think so," the brunette girl mused as she stood as well. She had on a pale green sundress, and like her sister was barefoot. As they weren't regular S.H.I.E.L.D. employees or Avengers, they tended to ignore most of the proprietaries when it came to anything resembling a dress code. "Still, did we keep our bags packed for a quick getaway?"

"That is our normal operating procedure when visiting here, yes," Rebecca affirmed.

Both girls paused at the door to glance over their shoulders. Two pairs of pale green eyes examined Rogers curiously.

"Coming, Cap?" Caitlin asked.

Captain America shook his head. He seemed to perform that action more and more when dealing with the two remarkable yet oftentimes frustratingly independent teenaged-seeming girls.

"Good luck, Steve!" Natasha called out humorously.

As he walked along behind the cheerfully chatting pair, he reflected on the short life they'd had so far. While they might pass for twins, were it not for their differing hair color and the smattering of freckles across Rebecca's face, Caitlin was actually the older by several years. She'd woken early, a lab-grown prototype model built for infiltration and combat, but she'd managed to quickly escape. And then about a year ago she'd returned to the same lab and ended up with a sister.

Rebecca had been built purely for combat, but she'd been damaged in the activation process so that the soul of the person used to power her was burned away. She and Caitlin had formed a bond, one that replaced her lost conscience and allowed them to be closer than many actual twins were able.

Rogers didn't understand it all, really. Natasha had tried to explain it at one point, but the scientific and psychological terminology went way over the head of a mostly uneducated kid from Brooklyn. It was enough to know these two girls were close family together. And that with all they'd been through, they deserved each other.

He smiled to himself as he overheard them bantering about which prank Fury might be upset about now.

"But the last one wasn't even us!" Caitlin protested in a hushed voice. "I mean, how would he have figured it out? Kitty was way too good at covering her tracks, he'd never have pinned the pirate-speak browser incident on us…"

"Wait, that was you girls?" Rogers spoke up humorously.

The brunette shot a guilty glance over her shoulder. "Oh, uh, hey Cap, forgot you were there for a minute. No, I mean, um, we just heard about it…"

"Caitlin," her sister interjected firmly. "We are busted."

" _So_ busted," she agreed with a groan. "Um, you gonna tell Fury?"

Rogers considered it for only a second. "After all this time, I think maybe it'd be best to just let that one go."

Caitlin grinned. "Knew I liked you, Cap."

"Thank you, Captain," Rebecca added solemnly. "We shall try to be less… adventurous with our pranks."

"Meaning there's gonna be more?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, yeah," the brunette giggled. "I mean, come on, it's us."

By that point they'd reached the door marked 'Director', and Rogers sighed slightly. It was still hard to face him and not feel a little bit of resentment for what he'd put him through. "Well, let's get this over with," he murmured, rapping on the door. The three of them entered when bid to do so.

Standing by the window and conversing quietly was a very mismatched pair of men. The taller one was dark-skinned, bald and imposing, with his trademark black leather trenchcoat and eyepatch. The shorter man was more unassuming, dressed in a neat but understated suit and with the beginnings of a receding hairline.

"Director Coulson," Rogers said evenly.

"Hi, Nick!" Caitlin broke in with a cheery wave. Rebecca sighed and rolled her eyes at her sister's incorrigible antics.

Fury chuckled lightly but the other man waved the three of them towards a set of three chairs facing the large desk. "Captain, ladies. Please, have a seat."

As they did so Fury turned to gaze out the window again while Coulson walked over to lean back on his desk with his arms crossed in front of him. "How have you been, Steve?" he asked gently.

"Good, sir. Yourself?" Rogers kept his face carefully neutral. Both Caitlin and Rebecca were glancing between the two men, trying to puzzle out Captain America's cool reaction to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"It's been busy," Coulson sighed resignedly, giving up for now on trying to reach out to his one-time hero. "Busy enough that we're looking to expand a little once again."

"I hope you're keeping better control of who you let into the organization this time," Rogers retorted.

Caitlin sat up straighter at that. She was there to witness firsthand the betrayal when Hydra emerged from S.H.I.E.L.D. as the driving force of their policy, and she paid a very personal price for it. "Are you? Sir?" she whispered earnestly.

"We are, yes," Coulson affirmed. "In fact, we're keeping things small. Trying to recruit known, reliable assets who we can count on to perform independent actions and investigations. The world is still a dangerous place."

"It is at that," Rogers nodded. "I won't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. again, though."

"We know that, Cap," Fury spoke up for the first time, still gazing out the window. "You're not the one we're looking to recruit, just asking for your blessing, as it were."

"Then…" Rogers trailed off as he glanced over at the two girls sitting next to him. They had both come to the same conclusion and were looking at each other anxiously.

"I don't think…" Caitlin began hesitantly.

"Wait, please," Coulson interjected. "Just hear us out. You would both be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents but with unprecedented independence of action. We've learned that sometimes small teams can make a bigger impact, a bigger difference, than a large organization."

"And it comes with benefits," Fury continued as he turned to face them. "I understand your bank account from your last job with us is starting to run a little dry."

"We can still get by," Caitlin retorted.

Rebecca nodded firmly. "We do not require much besides each other."

"And that's not going to change with this job," Fury replied archly. "We'll give the both of you a salary, granted it's a bit more modest than your last one, but we can also give you another very important benefit."

Coulson nodded. "The job will include a small apartment, say with two bedrooms, in downtown New York City where you will be based out of."

Caitlin whirled towards her sister, her eyes sparkling. They stared at each other for almost a full minute, their expressions unchanging, until Rebecca finally smiled. "Very well," she murmured.

The brunette turned back excitedly. "So, what exactly would you want us to be doing?"

* * *

New York City  
Hell's Kitchen

Caitlin sauntered down the sidewalk in the waning sunlight of the cool spring day. Her sister Rebecca was at her side, pale hands tucked into the pockets of her jean shorts.

"When did they say we could see our new place?' the brunette asked idly.

"This evening, according to Director Coulson," Rebecca replied evenly.

_/You need to collect your belongings from upstate, as well as the Xavier school./_

"Ooh, hey, Chris makes a good point. We've got stuff in two places now that we can bring together."

"This is true. We will also require furniture."

"I think we've got enough left to buy some things. Maybe a bookcase, a bed…"

"A bookcase would be nice. I have many books now."

"Hmm, maybe we need more than just one then…"

They paused as they arrived at their destination, a rather run-down looking pawn shop.

"Well," Caitlin mused. "At least it's not a bar."

"That is fortunate," Rebecca agreed. "And it reminds me, I still must extract payment from you for your foolishness the last time."

"What, it was funny!" the brunette girl protested. "You know I wouldn't have really lost that arm-wrestling match!"

"You did not need to wager myself," her redheaded sister huffed irritably.

"Oh, come on, he was kinda cute, right? For a guy?"

Rebecca leveled her with an unamused look.

"Okay, fine... " Caitlin grumbled as she mounted the steps in front of the shop. "Not like I ever told Sam about it…"

"Caitlin Brown, if you so much as _breathe_ a word of that incident to my boyfriend-"

Rebecca's tirade was cut short by a friendly greeting from behind the caged-off back half of the pawn shop as the brunette girl opened the door. "Why, hello there, young misses! What can I do fer ya?"

"Hi!" Caitlin replied cheerfully, shooting her sister an amused glance. "So, we're just looking for some information, actually, about something you bought?"

Rebecca let out a resigned and inelegant snort through her nose and turned to peruse the contents of the store curiously. The shelves behind the mesh cage were lined with an odd assortment of items, everything from old televisions to toasters to a few guitars. She did spy a shelf full of books, some of them rather old-looking much to her excitement.

"I would also like to peruse your book collection," she announced without turning around.

"Um, yeah, sure thing missy, lemme come 'round there and pull 'em down fer ya…"

"Really?" Caitlin queried as the rather corpulent man huffed and sweated his way around stacks of old magazines and boxes filled with strange items. "You're shopping for books while we're on a mission?"

"I will require more books to fill our two bookshelves," the redhead replied primly.

"That we don't have yet."

"Which we shall be purchasing," Rebecca corrected.

Caitlin gently banged her head several times against the protective cage. "Okay. Fine. So, if we get two really big bookshelves, all for you, and fill them to the brim, will that repay you for the arm-wrestling incident?"

"I believe it shall, yes."

"You drive a hard bargain, Becca."

"Would you prefer payment extracted in the form of a prank?"

"No, no," the brunette hurriedly backpedaled. "You get vicious with your pranks. I'm good."

"Yes, I thought as much," Rebecca said smugly as she looked over the pile of books the proprietor placed on the counter. "Oh, several of these would be lovely. These are what are called 'classics', yes?"

"That's right, some of 'em were required readin' back in my day," the man sighed fondly as he ran his hand over the dusty covers. " _Arabian Nights_ here was one of my favorites. And this one? Yeah, _Moby Dick_ is one grand ole tale."

Rebecca nodded decisively. "I shall take all of them."

"All of 'em?" he repeated greedily.

"All of them?" Caitlin asked incredulously.

"That is correct. All of them." Rebecca looked into the merchant's eyes. "And we will require information as well, as we indicated earlier."

"Well, alrighty then, lemme bag these up and you can tell me what it is yer lookin' fer."

Caitlin pulled a folded picture out of her pocket. "This. You bought it from a man two nights ago. We just want to know who he was."

The man blinked down at the paper as he gently placed the books into a paper bag. "Hmm, yeah, I remember that little item… Looked pretty strange, he said it was some sorta family heirloom."

"It was actually stolen," Rebecca said softly as she sidled over. "Quite possibly dangerous."

"Really?" He shook his head. "Well, that figures. I dunno if I should tell you two, I mean you seem like nice kids and all, but I got a reputation to protect, you know…"

"Anything at all you could tell us would be of tremendous help," Rebecca pleaded, her eyes wide and imploring.

"Oh… fine, okay, I can tell you one thing, but you ain't heard it from me none, got it? So, I dunno his actual name, but he wuz in here wearin' the work shirt from Al's Garage a few streets over, name tag said 'Skeeter'. From the oil on his hands, I 'spect he's a grease monkey over there."

Rebecca blinked her eyes uncertainly. "A… grease monkey?"

"He means a mechanic," Caitlin murmured.

"Oh! I see." Rebecca smiled brightly at the man, the wattage turned up high enough to blind. "Thank you so much for your assistance."

Fifteen minutes later, they were headed down the street again, the redheaded girl happily toting along a bag filled with dusty old books.

"You are such a nerd," Caitlin chuckled, looking down at the bag.

"I do not comment on your hobbies," Rebecca stated loftily. "Do not make fun of mine."

"I'm not making fun, Becca, and really, I mean it in a very affectionate way," Caitlin replied gently.

"Well then, that is acceptable," Rebecca smiled. "I do enjoy books," she added somewhat shyly.

"And I think you being a kickass bookworm is all sorts of awesome," Caitlin laughed.

"And when we find this Skeeter person, will we be kicking his ass?"

"Only if he won't talk," the brunette replied genially.

"Then I hope he is recalcitrant," the redhead smiled. "I did not get to spend enough time with Sam, and I wish to expend some energy."

"That's my sister," Caitlin giggled, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in close as they walked. "Burning off unwanted horniness with combat."

"I am not… 'horny'."

"Oh, you are so."

"I did not make any implication of that sort."

"Your blush says otherwise."

"You are annoying."

"Yep, true enough."

By that point, they had arrived at the garage. It was in the process of closing up, but there was still plenty of activity inside the brightly lit pair of mechanic's bays.

"Shall we?" Caitlin asked politely.

"Yes, we shall," Rebecca replied agreeably, setting her bag of books down outside the entrance.

The pair strode through the doors confidently. It didn't take long for them to be noticed.

"Hey, you kids!" shouted an older man, likely the owner as the name tag on his overalls read as 'Al'. "You can't be in here!"

"Won't be long," Caitlin assured him. "We're just looking for Skeeter. He around?"

There was a clatter towards the rear of the shop, and a door there swung gently in the breeze.

"Well, that answers my question," she grinned while turning to her sister. "Would you like the chase or the flank?"

"I shall chase," Rebecca replied smoothly. "You usually take that option."

"Well, I am a predator at heart."

"Yes, but I would like to experience it."

"Oh, fine, go right on ahead."

"Thank you," she said politely before sprinting through the shop and past the rear door.

The redheaded girl froze once outside, her senses straining. She didn't have her sister's olfactory tracking ability and had to rely on her enhanced hearing. Fortunately, Skeeter was making plenty of racket in his escape across the junkyard behind the auto shop.

With a tight grin, Rebecca shot off again, nimbly leaping over various pieces of rusting metal as she closed the fleeing man's lead. Before he could leave the yard she was within sight of him.

"You cannot escape," the petite redheaded girl called out. She thought it was likely both trite and melodramatic, but criminals often responded to such phrases.

The man whirled, a gun in his hand, and sent a hurried shot in her direction.

_Well, I suppose they do not always respond in a positive fashion._

She dodged the first shot but felt the second one burn across her upper arm as he found his range. Briefly, Rebecca considered flinging one of the many knives she kept concealed about her person but didn't want to risk leaving him in a state unable to talk. So instead she flew at him, her lips pulled back in a snarl, as the third bullet entered her left shoulder. She put her head down and rammed her right shoulder into his stomach, sending him sprawling and his firearm clattering off into the dark.

Rebecca panted lightly as she stood. The man's eyes widened as he saw the wound on her arm stop bleeding and close up, and then again as she held her hand out in front of her shoulder to catch the bullet when it was pushed out of her body as it healed as well. She held the bloody bullet up in front of her between her thumb and forefinger, regarding it almost curiously, before turning her pale green gaze on the man prone at her feet.

"Who… what the fuck are you?" he sputtered.

"The last people you want to mess with," Caitlin commented lightly as she walked around the corner, the bag of books in her hand. "You ready to give us some answers, or does my sister need to beat it out of you?"

Rebecca tossed the bullet nonchalantly onto Skeeter's chest. "I would not mind terribly if you were to refuse," she practically purred.

"No, no, I'll talk, it's about the item, right?" Skeeter was trembling, sweat beading on his forehead and upper lip. "Look, you're just like the other, ain'tcha? Did the boss send you? I'm sorry, okay? I just got greedy, I was stupid, I shouldn't have taken the one, but it was gold and I thought-"

His rambling confession was cut short by the sharp crack of a rifle's report. A bloody hole sprouted on his forehead, centered directly between his eyes, and he collapsed soundlessly backwards.

Both girls leapt back and into the shadows, seeking immediate cover.

"See anything?" Caitlin whispered.

"I do not," Rebecca murmured. "Do you believe they are still observing us?"

"You wanna gamble on that?" The brunette shook her head. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

As the pair of girls raced through the closing twilight darkness and out of the junkyard, they could hear the distant sound of sirens in the distance.

"Well, our first new mission was a bust," Caitlin grumbled as they ran, the bag of books clutched to her chest.

"Not necessarily," Rebecca disagreed. "We know that this was an organized crime. There are more objects. And one more item of note."

"Yeah," the brunette grunted. "He said, 'just like the other'. Must be another model out there."

"That is safe to assume. Should we include this information in our report?"

"No, not just yet." The girls paused, several blocks away, to catch their breath. "I think we should sit on this for awhile," Caitlin continued. "See what else we can uncover."

"You have further leads?"

"Not yet," the brunette answered her sister grimly. "But we will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I hope if you're reached this point you've read, at the bare minimum, _Unchained_. There are several other short stories and another full story associated with my OCs inside my [MCU: Unchained Series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/628508) and this tale will make a whole lot more sense if you do read them.
> 
> So, this will be a prequel story to a longer one I will be writing. All will be made clear soon enough… I have almost a dozen chapters planned out for this story, it will be in a chapter format like _Unbound_ was, though the main story will return to the standalone episodic format that was seen with _Unchained_. It's going to follow a larger storyline as it goes, however. Should be fun. We'll see, anyways.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	2. Chapter 2

New York City, Chinatown  
Rebecca and Caitlin Brown's Apartment

It was early Saturday evening, almost a week since they had moved into their apartment, and Caitlin was running about in a panic. "Do you think we have enough food?"

"Caitlin, you must relax," her sister sighed. "All will be well."

"But… But… What if we run out of something?"

"Then we shall go to the corner store," Rebecca said calmly as she set out another stack of mismatched plates.

In decorating their apartment both girls had settled on a style that might generously be called 'eclectic'. They easily acknowledged the fact that, for sisters not actually born from the same mother, or any mother really, they were both quite dissimilar when it came to temperament, eating habits, interests... well, most things, really. And so they had decided that their apartment should reflect their own variety of personalities. None of the dishes or cupware matched, nor did the four chairs around their worn but sturdy round wooden table in the kitchenette area.

The pair of sofas and three armchairs arranged around the flat-screen television, the one expensive item they'd splurged on, were a collection of materials ranging from brown leather to blue denim to plaid canvas. They'd found a large though threadbare Persian rug to cover the wooden floor in the living area. At one time it might have been a riot of colors but now was more muted and soothing.

Both Rebecca and Caitlin had taken a few days to successfully explore the thrift shops of the city. Their venture took on an air of festivity as they excitedly burned through most of their funds, but the pair of girls considered the results to have been easily worth the effort and expenditure.

At first, the redhead was a bit hesitant with the location of the apartment itself. It was set high up above one of the main thoroughfares within Chinatown and over a noodle shop. Her brunette sister, however, was entranced with the neighborhood, with the bright colors and lights and vibrant smells. She was as effervescent and gregarious as Rebecca was reserved and quiet, and by the weekend she'd managed to meet most of the neighbors as well as the surrounding shop owners. In fact, they'd just lugged up a rather significant haul of takeout food for their shindig that evening, purchased at a discount from a family-owned shop next door.

"I've never hosted a housewarming party before," Caitlin complained as she inspected the countertops for any signs of filth.

"Neither have I, but you do not see me panicking," Rebecca replied levelly, setting out a large bowl full of egg rolls.

"That's because you're like the calmest person I know!" the brunette huffed in exasperation. "How can you be so… so…"

"Placid?" her sister interjected, unruffled.

"I was going for something stronger."

"Tranquil, then?"

"Maybe…"

"Quiescent?"

"Becca, I don't even know what that means."

"Perhaps you should read more."

Caitlin snorted humorously, her earlier nervousness banished by the familiar bantering with her sister. "I read plenty."

"Erotic lesbian novels do not count."

"They _so_ do. Picked up all kinds of new stuff in the last one."

Rebecca chuckled lightly. "I do not need to hear of them, truly."

"You sure? 'Cause there's this one thing that might apply for you and Sam…"

Just then there was a hesitant knocking on their door, which a relieved Rebecca darted over to answer.

"Greetings!" she said cheerfully as it opened to reveal their friends from the Xavier school. "Welcome to our apartment!"

"We weren't sure this was the right place," Kitty smiled as she walked through the entry.

She paused with the others to look around the place. "Oh, wow," Blink murmured. "This is great!"

"And a nice TV, too!" Johnny grinned.

"Yeah, that was my idea," Caitlin laughed as she ran forward and hugged each visitor in turn. "Gotta have my movie nights! And you guys are welcome to drop by for them, okay?"

"Cool!" replied Bobby and Peter simultaneously.

"Hey, is that a game console?" Rogue asked curiously, pointing to the small cabinet below the wall-mounted flatscreen. "Ah didn't know y'all gamed."

"Well, it's been awhile," Caitlin answered hesitantly. "I used to… well, awhile back, with, um, Jinx. Figured I'd get one to entertain visitors and all."

"Sweet, it's a Gamecube!" Johnny laughed. "Haven't seen one of these in years!"

While Johnny, Bobby, and Peter busied themselves with the gaming console, setting up for a highly competitive round of Mario Kart, Caitlin took the girls upstairs to continue the tour. Rebecca remained behind to finish laying out the food and drinks as well as answer the door for newcomers.

"They said they'd just remodeled the place recently," Caitlin mentioned over her shoulder as she mounted the open staircase. "I'm glad they kept it all so exposed. Both Becca and I like the feeling of, I dunno, space."

Surge looked down into the main living area from the balcony they found themselves on. "Yeah, I can see that," the blue-haired girl grinned. "No pictures on the walls yet?"

"Not yet, no. We spent most of our money on furniture and stuff, we're gonna wait till we find something we really like." The brunette girl paused on the landing, indicating the middle of three doors that were sitting open. "This is our only bathroom, but it's nice and roomy too. And over there is the guest room, we got a full-sized bed in it but not much else. And then through here," she continued, walking through the left-hand door. "Is our room!"

"Oh, hon," Rogue laughed. "This is so y'all's style."

The room was a cacophony of colors, a bright teal comforter laid over the yellow sheets on the full-sized bed. The three pillows were cherry red, dark blue, and a white-and-neon-green plaid, along with a purple throw pillow. There was a small endtable with a tall lamp on it, the lampshade done in a nautical theme, and a tiny chrome and glass desk set under the window with a laptop on it. The curtains were a brighter shade of yellow than the sheets.

Filling one wall were a pair of enormous bookcases, one of them crammed with books of all shapes and sizes while the other was only halfway filled. Against the other wall and next to the door was a tall dresser with six drawers, and next to the bed was a tiny closet open to reveal colorful dresses and the like.

"You like it?" Caitlin asked anxiously.

"Babe, it's adorable," Blink laughed, pulling her friend into a hug. "Just like the two of you!"

"Absolutely," Kitty agreed. "And Rogue's right, it really does suit the two of you."

Just then they heard a girlish squeal come from downstairs.

"Well," Caitlin laughed. "Either Sam's here…"

"...Or Johnny's getting a little overly excited about their game," Blink chuckled.

The five girls headed out of the bedroom door to see that, indeed, Sam had shown up, along with Steve, Wanda, Vision, and Clint.

Grinning wildly, the lithe brunette hurdled the banister and leapt down the rest of the way to land in front of her favorite archer. "Hi, Clint!" she cheered, wrapping her small arms around him in a tight hug.

"Oof!" Barton exclaimed. "Hey to you too, Cat!"

"And now we know why you like the open space," Kitty laughed as she walked down the stairs.

"It is only the tenth time she has done that," Rebecca sighed humorously. "Today."

"I tried to convince her to get us a fireman's pole, but nooo…" Caitlin joked as she went around and gave enthusiastic hugs to the rest. She made sure all those present had been introduced to each other. Most of them, though, were known already from the Pied Piper incident several months ago. Then she noticed a large wrapped bundle tucked unobtrusively behind Vision.

"What is that?" she asked accusingly.

"I realize you told us you did not want presents for your party," Vision replied in his gentle voice. "But I felt this was needed in your new home."

Caitlin sighed and glanced at her sister.

"It would be rude of us to refuse," Rebecca commented, her head tucked in under Sam's shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his waist. "At the very least you should open it."

"Well, alright," the brunette said resignedly. "Definitely don't wanna be rude…"

As she unwrapped it her eyes grew wide. It was the painting that Vision had hung in his own bunk back at the Avengers facility and had entranced both girls when they'd seen it.

"Oh, Vision," Caitlin breathed, her eyes brimming with tears. "I can't…"

"Yes, you can," he replied evenly. "I have a new painting in its place. This belongs in your home."

Rebecca left Sam's embrace to join her sister's side, the two of them gazing at the picturesque work of art. It showed the back of a young woman in a yellow sundress, her blonde hair loose and blowing in the wind, as she sat on a grassy hill and watched the clouds in the sky.

"I do really like this painting," Caitlin murmured lovingly, brushing her fingers gently along the girl's golden hair.

"As do I," Rebecca said. "I believe it should go on the far wall there, above the couch."

"Yeah," her sister sniffled. "Yeah, that'd be perfect." She carefully placed the framed canvas against the wall before lunging forward and embracing the startled android tightly. Rebecca joined her not a fraction of a second later.

"Thank you, Vision," they both murmured.

"You are both most welcome," he smiled back.

For the time being, they decided to place their present in their closet and out of the way, as they had no hammer or nails. Their guests circulated and enjoyed the Chinese appetizers and sodas, conversing cheerfully about mundane matters. Clint joined in on the cutthroat Mario Kart game, having been promised a 'schooling' by the teenaged mutants.

The next knock at the door was answered by both Rebecca and Caitlin together, and they joyfully embraced their next guest. "Jess!" they simultaneously squealed excitedly. Well, as much as Rebecca would ever squeal.

"Hey, girls!" Jessica Jones laughed, returning the hug. "So this is the new digs, huh? Definitely gonna have to visit more often, Luke and I love Chinatown."

"He didn't come?" Caitlin asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Nope, he's busy doing manly stuff," Jess smiled, pushing the two back inside the apartment.

Rebecca took Jess by the hand and gave her introductions before leading her upstairs to show off the rest of their place.

Some time later Caitlin was bringing down a case of soda from where they were being stored in the guest room when yet another knock came from the front door.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, placing the sodas on the counter and hurrying towards the front of their apartment. "I was wondering when Tasha would get here!"

When she flung the door, open, she was wholly unprepared for the sight of her visitors. She stood dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open incredulously.

"Hi, Kitten!" Stark said cheerfully. "You gonna invite us in?"

"Tony! Pepper!" the brunette shouted, finally finding her voice. "What in the… We weren't expecting you!"

"Well, I know we said we couldn't make it," the elegant strawberry blonde laughed lightly as she stepped forward to embrace her friend. "But we're in between functions."

"Politicians make us wait on them all the time," Stark chuckled, accepting a hesitant hug from the brunette girl. "They can drink their expensive cocktails without us for a few minutes. And I see Capsicle's here already!"

"Hello, Mr. Stark," Rebecca said politely as she walked up.

"Red! Nice digs you guys got here. Hey, have you met Pepper yet?"

"We haven't yet, no," Pepper smiled as she extended her hand. "Hello, Rebecca, I've heard a great many things about you."

"And unlike me, they've all been nice," Stark joked as he made his way inside. "So where's the booze?"

"Tony, our IDs say we're only eighteen," Caitlin remarked.

"And you let a little thing like that stop you? Most disappointing, Kitten, most disappointing. Oh, well, I'll just have to entertain myself conversing with our star-spangled straight-man here."

"Tony," Rogers greeted the billionaire with a sigh. "How have you been?"

"Oh, you know, raking in the money, blowing things up, the usual."

"Tony!" Kitty cheered as she noticed the new arrival. "Long time no see!"

Stark grinned at his former protege. "Why, if it isn't my favorite computer jockey, young Miss Pryde. You stopping by the tower anytime? I've got a new system we're working on, and Friday misses you."

Kitty laughed. "Well, I miss her too. Somehow I manage to get along better with an AI than I did with any of the researchers at your labs."

"Wait, wait, Tony's here?" Clint interrupted from his seat on the couch, never taking his eyes off of the race track portrayed on the screen. "Quick, lock away the robots before he gets at them! Toasters and microwaves too!"

"Ha, ha," Stark deadpanned. "You're hilarious, Legolas."

Meanwhile, Caitlin had noticed what Wanda was hovering in the back of the kitchen. The brunette woman hadn't taken her eyes off of Stark since he'd shown up.

"Hey," the diminutive girl said softly as she leaned against the wall next to her onetime enemy. "I haven't shown you upstairs yet. You want the full tour?"

"Yes, please," the woman replied, her Sokovian accent more pronounced than usual.

Caitlin pulled Wanda by the hand, finally breaking her gaze, and dragged her up the staircase and into their room, cutting off the sight of the flamboyant man completely.

"You okay?" she asked gently.

"Yes, I am fine," Wanda replied, looking around the room. "You have a lovely room."

"Liar."

"But it _is_ lovely…"

"Wanda."

The brunette telekinetic woman sighed and sank down in the edge of the fluffy bed. Caitlin hopped up next to her, curling her bare feet under her as she did so.

"I was not expecting to see him," Wanda confessed quietly. "I can… tolerate him, so long as I do not spend much time with him. But it takes some time to… fortify myself." She held her clenched fists up in front of her. Wisps of ethereal red mist were drifting from in between her fingers.

"I have to fight for control when around that… that man," she whispered.

"You know," Caitlin began hesitantly. "I realize we kinda bonded over our mutual hatred for Stark. It took me awhile to really understand how he is. I mean, yeah he's a complete dick at times, but despite all that, despite his tendency to do whatever he feels is the right thing at the time…"

"...No matter what the consequences," Wanda interjected bitterly.

"Well, yeah, that too. But he does it because he wants to do what's _right_ , both for the world and by his friends. God," she muttered. "I can't believe I'm sitting here sticking up for the ass. Who woulda thought?"

"I see him with his friends," the Sokovian native mused. "He jokes, all the time, but yes I can see he cares. I think perhaps he jokes and makes fun the most of those he cares the most for, yes?"

"Yeah, I think so too."

"And all this time, I think to myself, 'This is the monster I've feared and hated all these years?'" Wanda stared through the floorboard as if she could see him. "'This is the Stark who killed my parents?'"

"Wanda," the brunette girl said softly. "He didn't kill them. His tech did. And… and I know this is hard to hear, believe me, I know, but maybe he deserves a second chance, huh?"

The woman seated next to her only breathed a single word, almost inaudibly. "Why?"

"Because, despite him being an incurable jackass, I think he's genuinely trying to make up for his past. Kitty told me about what all Stark Industries actually does, the technology it injects into poorer countries, their research into clean and renewable energy… lots of stuff that went way over my head, honestly." Caitlin snorted humorously. "Becca could have explained it if I asked her to, but then she'd get all insufferable about it."

Wanda let out a quiet laugh, which encouraged Caitlin to continue.

"Look, there's no way I expect you to ever be best buddies or anything, okay? But I want you to think about something, and I mean really think about it."

She slipped off of the bed and knelt in front of Wanda, taking her hands in her own small ones and gazing sincerely up into her eyes.

"I used to hate you with a passion for what you did to me. But I forgave you, and somehow we've become friends. If there's hope for the two of us, then just maybe there's hope for you and Stark as well, huh?"

Wanda's breath hitched in her chest. "I… I don't know if I can. But…" She smiled wanly at her new friend. "I shall try to at least think upon it."

Caitlin leaned up and wordlessly gave her a quick hug. "You can stay up here for awhile if you like," she said as she moved towards the door.

"No, thank you, I will come back down," Wanda replied. "It is a party, after all."

True to their word, Stark and Pepper only stayed for a short while, though the party continued for some time after they'd left. Vision and Wanda headed out as well, along with Rogers, though Sam elected to stay behind as he'd driven separately.

"Hey, Becca," Caitlin whispered in her sister's ear while she sat on the armrest next to her boyfriend. Sam had been sucked into a game with the teenaged mutant boys, teaming up with Clint to try and defend the honor of the Avengers. So far it was not going well.

"Yes, Caitlin?"

"You gonna convince Sam to stay over?"

Rebecca blinked her pale green eyes up at the brunette girl. "I was not sure such an action would be acceptable."

Without batting an eye Caitlin reached over and swatted her sister upside the back of her head, causing her to utter a startled "Ow!"

"You dork, of course it's okay!" the brunette hissed. "That's why we have a guest room! I can sleep in there!"

"Oh," Rebecca replied, nonplussed. "We did not discuss this."

"I thought it was obvious."

"You thought incorrectly."

"So, ask him!"

Rebecca shot her sister a small grin. "You are still obnoxious."

"And proud of it. Now ask, or I will, and I'll be even more obnoxious about it."

The redhead wrinkled her freckled, pert nose and rolled her eyes. "Sam?" she asked in a normal voice.

"Hmm? Yeah, what's up, babe?"

"Would you like to spend the night?"

Sam looked over, glancing between the two sisters. Reassured by the accepting grin from Caitlin, he smiled softly. "Yeah, I'd really like to."

"Uh-oh," Clint intoned. "Sexytimes imminent. Should we be vacating the premises?"

"No, you big dork," Caitlin scoffed. "And where the hell is Tasha, anyways? She should have been here by now!"

"I think she and Maria had to make a stop first."

"Maria's coming too?" Caitlin cheered. "Awesome!"

A knock sounded at the door, causing Clint to grin and pause the game. "Hey, that should be them, why don't you get it?"

Caitlin ran over to the door excitedly, not noticing the grins and knowing glances that almost everyone else in the room shared. She flung open the door and froze.

Natasha and Maria were indeed standing there, huge grins on their faces, but also standing in front of her door were both Lisa and her roommate Emily.

"Oh! My! God!" Caitlin shrieked loud enough to make everyone assembled wince. She tackled Lisa, remembering at the last minute to control herself to avoid any broken bones. "What…? How…?"

"Surprise, _kotenok koshka_ ," Natasha chuckled. "You said no presents, but Maria and I thought it'd be nice to fly your girlfriend and her roommate up for the weekend."

"Sorry it took so long," the lanky brunette woman added, wrapping her arm around the redheaded woman. "Traffic from La Guardia was a bitch."

"I just…" Caitlin was babbling incoherently as happy tears streamed down her cheeks, matching those running down the face of her purple-haired girlfriend. "I can't believe…"

"Believe it, beautiful," Lisa murmured, sealing her lips over Caitlin's in a long, passionate kiss.

Rebecca cleared her throat from inside the doorway. "Perhaps we should move back into the apartment?"

Grinning, the other three woman walked inside, leaving the two lovebirds blissfully unaware of their surroundings. "We'll leave them be for now," Natasha grinned. "I'll go fetch them in a few. And how are you, _mladshaya sestra_?"

Rebecca smiled widely as she always did when Natasha referred to her as her little sister in Russian. "Oh, I am very well, thank you, Natasha. Hello, Miss Hill, and Emily, it is good to see you again."

"It's great to see you too," the petite and curvy blonde smiled as she hugged the redheaded girl.

The front door bumped open, and Caitlin and Lisa appeared. Their arms were still wrapped around each other, making movement awkward, but they still had enormous and goofy grins plastered on their faces.

"Sorry 'bout that," Caitlin muttered abashedly.

"I have that kinda effect on her," Lisa added loftily.

"Among other things," the brunette snickered, sliding her hand down behind.

Lisa let out a small shriek. "Hey, now! Other people in the room!"

Those other people were laughing heartedly at the adorable pair. "So, I take it you're the famous Lisa?" Surge asked avidly.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, lemme go through the introductions!" Caitlin quickly ran through those present, leaving both Emily and Lisa wide-eyed at some of the names.

"Wow," Emily murmured. "So, you're all, like, superheroes?"

"Ex-superhero," Jess murmured into her cup, just loud enough that only Rebecca and Caitlin picked up on it. The brunette girl shot her friend a wink.

"Well, we're X-Men," Kitty said modestly. "Not really superheroes."

"Speak for yourself!" Johnny deadpanned.

"Some of us have super-sized egos," Peter chuckled.

"Yeah, but still," Emily murmured, slightly awestruck. "I feel so, I dunno… mundane, being among all of you."

"Not all of us have powers," Clint protested.

Sam nodded agreeably. "We get by just fine alongside those who do."

Bobby laughed merrily. "And yet you two old men are getting your asses handed to you by us 'powered' kids."

"Oh, you did not just throw that gauntlet down," Sam growled with mock ferocity. "Alright, punk, it's on now."

While the boys returned to their competition, Caitlin and Rebecca dragged the newcomers upstairs to see the rest of the apartment.

"Oh, sweetie, it's beautiful," Lisa gushed when they got to the bedroom. "It fits the two of you, really!"

"I'm glad you think so, love," Caitlin giggled as she snuggled back into her girlfriend's arms where she stood against the dresser. "We both worked really hard on it."

"We still need to do something for the guest room," Rebecca added. "But at least we have sheets."

"Wait, you knew!" Caitlin suddenly accused. "You insisted on putting the sheets on the bed in there today! You knew Lisa was coming!"

"I think the proper reply would be, 'Well, duh'," the redheaded girl smirked.

All the women laughed at the uncharacteristic vernacular from the normally eloquent girl. "Okay, now I can't even be mad about it," Caitlin giggled. "So who else knew?"

"Well…" Maria murmured, slightly embarrassed.

The brunette stared at the other five women who were actively avoiding her gaze. "Everyone?"

"Yeah, pretty much everyone was in on it," Lisa admitted. "At least from what I understand."

"Oh, Tony Stark did not know!" Rebecca interjected.

Natasha snickered. "But only because he'd blab it first chance he got and ruin the surprise."

"Well, fine," Caitlin smiled agreeably. "I don't even mind because this was the best surprise ever."

As the hour approached midnight the party finally began to wind down. Both Natasha and Maria headed out, promising to visit again for lunch the next weekend if they were all in town still, while the teenagers bid their own goodbyes and headed out of the city. Clint departed shortly thereafter as well, having followed the others into town on Natasha's motorcycle. "If she wasn't desperate to get some alone time in with her girlfriend, I'd never get to ride the thing," he joked.

Jessica lingered for just a bit longer, taking the quieter setting to get to know both Lisa and Sam a bit better. This was one aspect of her young friends' lives that she hadn't gotten to experience firsthand yet, and by the time she left she was very grateful about both of their relationships.

"You both got something special going on there," she whispered as she pulled the sisters into a group hug before leaving. "I'm happy for you, really."

After cleaning up what was left of the takeout food and bagging up the trash, the five remaining occupants relaxed in the living area. Lisa sat in one of the armchairs with Caitlin snuggled in her lap, while Sam lay back against one end of a couch with Rebecca curled contentedly against him. Emily sat on the other end of the same couch, her feet propped up on the redheaded girl's leg.

"So, what did you think," Sam asked. "Good party?"

"Yeah," Caitlin sighed contentedly. "The best."

"Most definitely," Rebecca stated. "We should, however, discuss the sleeping arrangements."

"I'm good with a couch down here," Emily volunteered.

"Thanks, Em," Lisa smiled over at her roommate.

"Got plenty of pillows, we'll toss some down," Caitlin mused. "So, who gets our bedroom and who gets the guest room?"

"I believe we should have the main bedroom," Rebecca opined.

"What?" Caitlin protested. "How do you figure?"

"I asked Sam first."

"But I didn't know Lisa was coming!"

"Irrelevant. I call dibs."

"You can't just call dibs."

"I can. And I just did."

Sam leaned his head back with an amused smile and closed his eyes, used to the siblings good-natured bantering.

"I think we should flip on it," Caitlin said.

Rebecca quirked her brow curiously. "Flip what?"

"A coin, silly."

"Oh. No, I do not believe we should leave this to chance when I clearly have the superior claim."

"Well now, _that_ has yet to be established. Dork."

"Reverting to name-calling is a sign of desperation."

"Or it could just be that you're a dork."

"I thought you were the dork?" Lisa asked slyly.

"Hey!" Caitlin squawked, craning her head back. "Whose side are you on here?"

"Very well, Caitlin," her redheaded sister stated calmly. "If you will not listen to reason, then we shall use the time-honored tradition of rock, paper, and scissors."

"Oh, okay," the brunette replied, nonplussed, as she turned back around. "Um, how does that work?"

"I am not sure, actually," Rebecca confessed. "I read about it."

"Oh, for God's sake," Sam muttered, sitting up and dislodging Rebecca from his side. "Here. This is a rock, this is paper, and this is scissors. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock."

"What, no lizard or Spock?" Emily quipped, greatly enjoying the show.

"You hush," Sam said with a pretend sternness. "Don't confuse them further. Now, you go like this, one, two, three, and then throw down whatever one you choose. Got it?"

Both sisters nodded uncertainly. "Right. So, practice run?" Caitlin asked.

"Very well," Rebecca replied. The two of them counted out, and then threw simultaneous papers.

"Um, now what?" Caitlin asked quizzically.

Sam laughed. "That's a tie. Go again."

So they went again. And again. Five times, all different throws but always the same.

"That's uncanny," Emily murmured.

Lisa nodded in agreement. "Kinda freaky, huh?"

"This is getting us nowhere," Caitlin huffed.

Rebecca tapped her fingers together thoughtfully. "I suggest proxies."

"Proxies? Oh!" Caitlin grinned at the notion. "Right! Sam and Lisa, face off!"

Their respective significant others laughingly agreed and quickly determined that Sam and Rebecca would get to sleep in the main room that evening, while Lisa and Caitlin would take the guest room.

"Jesus, that took awhile," Sam commented wryly. "It's one in the morning!"

"Oh, come on, old man," Caitlin snarked, "You giving up on us already? The night is still young!"

"Says the girl who can go four days without sleep," Lisa murmured sotto voce.

"Lisa, you're still on California time," Caitlin remarked.

"Oh, I know, not complaining really. Besides, I got you a movie for us to watch."

"You did?" The brunette turned around and straddled her girlfriend. "Which one? Where is it? Who's in it?"

"She is like an overeager puppy at times," Rebecca smiled fondly.

Caitlin turned her head to stick her tongue out in reply, but Lisa darted forward to capture it in her mouth.

"Ugh, you guys, save it for the bedroom," Emily complained jokingly. "C'mon, I'll go get the movie, it's in your bag still, right Lise?"

"Um, yeah," Lisa replied, her cheeks pink once she leaned back again. "Side pocket."

Emily got up and began to rummage through the luggage they'd brought, but Lisa suddenly bolted upright in the chair, almost throwing Caitlin off. "Wait, not the one side, the other!"

"Girl, that doesn't even make… any… sense…" Emily trailed off. "Oh. Wrong pocket."

"Em…"

"Wow. Cat, you are in for it tonight."

"Oh, balls, Emily please don't go through-"

"Wait, now I'm curious," Sam said, craning his neck.

"No!" Lisa shrieked as she launched herself forward, this time making Caitlin land on her butt.

Both Sam and Rebecca were hanging off of the back of the couch, peering down curiously.

"Oh, my," Rebecca breathed.

Sam chuckled lightly. "I don't suppose the rooms are soundproof?"

"No," Rebecca murmured. "No, they are not."

"Oh my God," Lisa sputtered as she finally rounded the couch, throwing herself on top of her bag and knocking Emily backwards. "I'm gonna die from embarrassment now."

"Sweetie, don't be like that," Caitlin giggled from where she was still perched on the floor. She was red in the face from laughter. "It's okay, really, we're all friends here."

"I'm just…" Lisa sighed as she zipped the one side up and then opened the other side to extract the movie. "I'm not used to being so open, I mean, I just met Sam tonight, and he's… well, he's a…"

"Oh," Sam murmured. "Sorry, Lisa, I didn't think about that."

"What, that he is male?" Rebecca asked curiously as Lisa approached the television. "That is your concern?"

"More like the cause of my death by mortification," Lisa muttered irritably. "How the hell do you work this thing?"

Caitlin bounced up and walked over, wrapping her arms around Lisa's middle. "Hey, it's okay, sweetie. Like I said, we're all friends. And Sam's a good guy. Believe me, he's the last person to think badly of you, or give you grief about something like that."

Lisa smiled over her shoulder. "Yeah. I'm being silly. Okay! Let's get this movie started. Um, still don't know how to work it, though."

Eventually, they were all settled down and back into their original positions.

"So what's the name of it?" Caitlin asked as they moved through the previews.

"It's called _Knights of Badassdom_. Campy as hell, but it's got Summer Glau in it."

Caitlin turned with a gasp to regard her lover fondly. "Did you really get me a Summer Glau movie? One I haven't seen yet?"

"Yep!" Lisa smirked. "Am I an awesome girlfriend or what?"

The small brunette girl gazed into her lover's eyes, her own pale green ones shining with emotion. "I love you so, so much," she choked out.

Grinning, Lisa leaned in close. "Just wait til you see her outfit," she murmured against Caitlin's lips tenderly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for fluffy Cat & Becca goodness, with some Sam & Lisa thrown in! I don't do many fluff chapters, but they have their place. Here, I just wanted to bring folk back in and show what they've been up to. For being around only a few short years, the girls have managed to amass a fairly large circle of friends.
> 
> So, next chapter we get back into the action somewhat. What about that mysterious stolen item? Who was that sniper? What fun surprises does S.H.I.E.L.D. have in store for them next?
> 
> Cheers to all who have read up to this point, and to my awesome Beta **KellyConnely**.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	3. Chapter 3

New York City  
Chinatown

Caitlin walked down the street, carrying a bag of groceries and humming to herself happily. It was the Monday after their party and her spirits were still soaring after the incredible weekend they'd experienced. It'd been a long time since she'd gotten to see her girlfriend Lisa but they'd managed to make up for lost time the one night they got to spend together. Eventually, though, Sunday had rolled around and Sam drove the bunch of them to La Guardia to send the Californians off again.

The brunette girl glanced sideways at her sister, pacing alongside with a dreamy look in her pale green eyes.

"I know what you're thinking about," Caitlin murmured in a sing-song voice.

Rebecca smiled softly as she turned her head. "I imagine similar thoughts to yourself, yes?"

"Most definitely," she replied with a Cheshire-cat smile of her own. "It's good to be laid."

Rebecca snorted indelicately. "That was a crude way to put it."

"Had our ashes hauled?"

"No."

"Well, then, what would you call it?"

The redheaded girl smiled serenely. "Thoroughly orgasmed."

Caitlin threw her head back and barked out a loud laugh, turning the heads of other passerbys.

"Okay, yeah, I like the sound of that."

Just then both of the girls jumped slightly as their back pockets buzzed.

"I find that difficult to get used to," Rebecca murmured as she pulled her phone out from the rear of her jean shorts.

"Yeah, these new phones pack a punch," Caitlin replied as she pulled hers out of her dark green capris cargoes. "Maybe I should put it in my front pocket," she added with a leer.

Rebecca rolled her eyes as she swiped her phone's screen. "You are incorrigible. Oh, our presence is required by the Director."

"Hmm, maybe a new mission." Caitlin paused as another text came across, though just on her phone. Her grin grew as she perused it. "It pays to have friends in the right places…" she hummed thoughtfully.

"Caitlin?"

"Sorry, that last one was Clint. I put some feelers out, about our last job, right? He and Tasha are on a case that might be similar to that one." They had reached the door leading up to their apartment complex by that point. The diminutive brunette paused to wave cheerfully to the proprietor of the shop downstairs. " _Nin hao_ , Mr. Wu!"

" _Nin hao_ to you as well, Miss Caitlin, Miss Rebecca!"

Rebecca smiled and nodded politely to the wizened old man. He and his grandsons, of which he apparently had more than a dozen, ran the store the same way they had for generations, with handmade noodles and sauces. It was one of the few foods both of the sisters could agree on as exquisitely delicious, though Caitlin preferred the pork ones and Rebecca the orange-flavored.

"Anyways," Caitlin continued as they began the trek up the six flights of stairs. "Clint put word in with our bosses that they might need backup, and recommended us for our skills."

"Did you mention to him the possibility of there being another model like us opposing them?"

"Hmm." She frowned concernedly. "No, I didn't. I suppose I can trust them not to let anyone else know…"

"It is for the best, we do not want to unnecessarily endanger them." Rebecca held her hand out. "I shall carry the groceries while you type."

Caitlin sighed as she complied. "You could do it in half the time," she grumbled as she hunted for the keys she needed to type out the missive while they continued up the steps.

"Well, yes, but then I would not be able to enjoy watching you struggle."

"Brat."

"I learned from you."

"Heh, true, can't argue with that. Okay, they're warned. Let's get this stuff put away and call for a cab."

Rebecca pulled out her set of keys at their apartment door, looking at them consideringly. "Do you suppose we should learn to drive at some point? Travel would be more convenient if we had our own transportation."

"Seriously? Have you noticed what parking is like in the city?"

"You make an excellent point."

"Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. picks up the cab fare."

"This is also true."

"There's a crack in there somewhere about being the more intelligent sister, but I'm not gonna go there."

Rebecca shot her sister an amused glance. "Thank you for your restraint."

"You're most welcome," Caitlin smirked.

* * *

Avengers / S.H.I.E.L.D. Facility  
Upstate New York

"You know, we could always send a quinjet down for you," Coulson commented as the two sisters were ushered into his office by a junior agent.

"Nah, where's the fun in that?" Caitlin asked innocently. "We like the scenic route."

"Well, for this trip you'll definitely be flying. Commercial class, I'm afraid."

"Where are we to go, Director?" Rebecca asked politely. "And what are our mission parameters?"

Coulson gave the redheaded girl a slight smile. "Right to the point, then. Agents Romanov and Barton are on a case up in Montreal. They have credible evidence that an item will likely be stolen from the Museum of Archaeology and History. I need you to back them up and help cover the stakeout. The robbery should occur tonight, but you will arrive in plenty of time if you hustle."

"Cool, never been to Canada," the brunette commented. "Officially, anyway, I mean there was that one insertion… Um, don't we need passports to fly in commercial?"

The Director slid over a pair of blue-covered booklets towards them. "Anything else?"

Rebecca nodded thoughtfully. "I cannot bring my blades onto the flight, is this correct?"

"That's right. You don't have the time to stop by your room, so just go ahead and leave them here. I'll see them stored safely until your return."

Rebecca arched one thin red eyebrow. "Here?"

"Yes, please, right here." Coulson tapped the surface of the desk in front of him.

She glanced at her sister who was maintaining considerable restraint in not breaking out into laughter. "You heard the man," Caitlin smirked.

With a sigh, Rebecca began to pull blades out from about her body. Coulson's eyes grew as the pile did. He wondered briefly how the girl was able to keep that many blades concealed when all she wore were jeans and a light grey crop top with an unassuming black leather coat over the outfit.

When the number of knives reached eleven, he smiled slightly as she paused. "Is that all of them, then?"

"Legs," Caitlin murmured.

"Oh, yes, thank you," Rebecca replied. She looked up apologetically at the Director. "I do not often wear clothing that covers my legs." She propped a sandaled foot up on the chair next to her and pulled the leg of her jeans up, revealing a brace of three slender throwing knives around her slim calf. She unstrapped the whole lot and placed them on the desk, then repeated the process for the other leg.

"Is _that_ all of them?" Coulson asked in a somewhat strained voice.

"Oh!" Rebecca turned away, her face blushing slightly, to unzip her jeans. She then zipped them back up and turned to place a very small push-handled sheathed knife on the desk.

"That is all," she said confidently.

"You don't even wanna know why she keeps one there," Caitlin snickered, unable to restrain her humor any further.

"And you, Caitlin?" Coulson asked, cutting off the scathing reply that had formed on Rebecca's lips. "Any weapons to unload?"

"Oh, no, I'm dangerous enough all on my little lonesome," she said cheerily, rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands tucked into the pockets of her jean jacket.

"Very well. Here are your tickets and comms to use, they're already set for Agent Romanov and Barton's frequency. Contact them when you set down."

"Yes, sir!" Caitlin said, shooting him one last insolent grin before skipping out the door with her items in hand.

"Thank you, Director," Rebecca said politely as she scooped her own papers up. She walked out at a more sedate pace.

Coulson sat at his desk, rubbing his brow and staring down at the large pile of deadly bladed weaponry. "Why was it I listened to Fury?" he mused to himself.

* * *

Montreal, Canada

Their flight was fairly uneventful, save for one screaming toddler that only quietened as they were on approach to land and another couple in the seat behind them who squabbled incessantly. The sisters managed to tolerate both annoyances, especially the latter by maintaining a running commentary on their argument.

"Do people like that truly exist in the world?" Rebecca asked wonderingly as they exited the plane.

"Well, yeah. It's kinda sad, I know, but some people, women especially, have so little self-esteem… Chris says he saw it a lot when he trained folk in self-defence. Women who kept going back to their abusers until they couldn't take it anymore."

Rebecca halted, her pale green eyes flashing angrily as she sought out the couple who had already exited ahead of them. "You believe he is abusing her?"

"No, no, sorry… ease down there, Becca, okay? I didn't mean to imply that." Caitlin sighed as she dragged her sister along before they attracted too many stares. "Look, I dunno for sure, I can't tell with stuff like that. I mean, yeah they're definitely not good for each other, they way they argued, and accused each other of cheating and stuff." She blew out an irritated breath. "Jealousy is such an annoying human trait."

"Is is indeed. I cannot comprehend it, even after reading about it in several books, both fictional and factual. So many terrible things in history have occurred simply because one person desired what another had, or were insecure concerning their own mate." Rebecca shook her head sadly. "Humans are very strange sometimes."

"Yeah, they are," Caitlin agreed. "But, we're in love with a pair of them."

"We are indeed. I am fortunate mine does not experience this jealousy."

"Well, you've never given him reason to. I mean, hell, I've never even seen you look at another person like you do Sam." The brunette grinned. "You get this doe-eyed look, kinda like an adoring puppy… and this silly little smile..."

"Please stop describing me."

"But you do! It's adorable!"

"Should we not contact Natasha and Clint?"

"Nice change of topics."

"Thank you for noticing. Now contact them, please."

"Why me?"

"Because you are the one who feels the incessant need to talk."

"Oh, now you're just being hurtful." Caitlin gave the redhead a smirk to know she wasn't any more offended than she ever was with her and pulled her comm unit out of her pocket to stick in her ear, turning it on as she did so.

"Cat here, anybody on?"

"Hey Cat, welcome to Canada," Clint's cheerful voice came back immediately. Rebecca smiled softly at the sound of his voice, as she'd slipped her own comm unit in as well. "Just touch down?"

"Yep, we're here, no luggage or anything so just let us know where to go."

"Nat and I are at the museum already, she's talking to the curator. Come on by and we'll get you set up."

"Clint, do you by any chance have extra knives for me?" Rebecca cut in curiously, attracting a concerned stare from a nearby security guard.

Caitlin shot him a wink as she dragged her sister further along and out the doors towards the cab stands.

"Yeah, Becca, we've got a few extras you can have. Coulson make you leave your toys at home?"

"On his desk, actually," Rebecca replied with a slight smile. "It was rather amusing."

Caitlin grinned at the sound of Barton's boisterous laughter over the comm as she leaned into the window of the nearest cab and politely asked for his transportation services towards _Pointe-A-Calliere_.

* * *

Montreal Museum of Archeology and History

"So, Cat," Natasha murmured. "Do you think we'll see another you tonight?"

"There is no other Caitlin," Rebecca's voice sounded over the comm softly. "She is unique."

The brunette girl in question smirked. "Why, thank you, Becca. But, yeah, I think we might get to see another model tonight. If what you say is true…"

"About the other robberies?" Barton interjected. "Yeah, the evidence so far is pretty damned conclusive. Definitely a pattern."

"And the thief is never seen," Rebecca mused. "Except for brief glimpses by security cameras of a small and dark figure."

"It's actually what made me think of the two of you before you even texted us back," Natasha added. "It reminded me of watching you run that simulation."

Caitlin snickered softly. "That was so much fun."

"Indeed," Rebecca agreed. "We should participate again sometime."

"Oh, don't worry, I got all sorts of ideas that you can play into," Natasha said with a wicked laugh. "Alright, I see the last of the staff leaving the parking lot. That just gives us a handful of guards."

"And they know we're here, right?" Caitlin asked.

"They do," the redheaded woman confirmed. "Give me a sit rep, Barton."

"Front entrance is secure," Barton reported. "There's a watchman on duty at the front desk, though, so I don't think this will be a point of entry."

"Noted. Becca?"

"The top level is secure," she replied calmly from the tower of the museum, nicknamed the Lookout.

"Cat?"

"I really wanna come back here and eat sometime," the brunette mused from her perch in the corner of the topmost floor of the main building. "It's got a cool name, too, L'Arrivage Restaurant. Dunno what it means, but it's cool."

"Caitlin."

"Sorry, yeah, all secure."

"Thank you," Natasha said patiently. "The Tea Roads is secure as well," she added, referring to the middle level main exhibit area that she'd stationed herself. "One guard on patrol, but he's fairly predictable."

"This appears to be too easy."

"What do you mean, Becca?" Natasha asked.

"They are going considerable effort, this mysterious organization, to collect these items we still know little about, only that they are all related and from the same era. But this group only steals from one location at a time. We know it is likely an organization of more than one person from our previous mission and subsequent interrogation. So why is this? The security here is laughable."

"Getting cocky there," Barton interjected, the humor evident in his voice.

"No, I agree with her completely," Caitlin retorted. "No glass around the item, no motion or infrared sensors since there's a guard patrol. This is a cakewalk. Isn't it?" She added the last uncertainly.

Natasha carefully considered the security layout in her own head, first as an experienced agent and then from that of a common burglar. "I don't think so," she finally replied slowly. "This would be a challenge for even me, though I could pull it off. There's too many cameras, and the guards cover too much of an area. I mean, yes, if you don't care about being seen or anything, then sure it's easy. But not the way these have been pulled off."

"But are the burglaries done this way because of the burglar, or because they have to be?" Barton mused. "What if someone doesn't want anyone to know yet what he's assembling?"

"I don't like that train of thought," the brunette girl growled. "I've had enough magical crap to last me a lifetime already, and for someone who's gonna live a really long time that's saying something. And that's what you're implying, right Clint? That these are all being pulled together for something bigger?"

"Well, why else?" he replied reasonably. "A collector?"

"That would be far too fortunate for us," Rebecca sighed.

"Okay, so then back to the ease of bypassing this security," Natasha continued. "Like I said, it'd be a doable challenge for me. Maybe, though, the only ones to see it as that easy are, well… you two."

"Or someone like us," Rebecca murmured.

"But again, why?" Barton persisted.

"I think we're talking ourselves in circles here," Natasha interrupted. "We won't know any more until we get more info. Either from capturing the burglar or finding out for sure what these all have in common."

"Alright, Nat-"

"Wait!" Natasha suddenly barked. "The item, it's gone!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Barton asked incredulously, heading for the stairs at a trot. "What, are they invisible?"

"Shit, no! Just really, really fast, I can see a figure heading for the exit!"

"I'm in position," Caitlin called out, jumping down the flight of stairs to alight in a crouch on the landing of the stairwell outside the entrance to the main area. She'd barely hit the surface when a small dark-clad figure came racing out, skidding to a halt suddenly before bumping into the brunette girl.

She managed to ascertain several things rapidly. Their burglar did indeed seem to have the same proportions as herself and Rebecca, athletically slim and only about five foot even, the outfit being skintight enough that her feminine features were evident. She managed to catch a muttered curse in a light voice, also similar to her own but with an odd accent she didn't quite catch.

And then, peering out at her from behind the slits in the mask, were a pair of very familiar pale green eyes.

"Going somewhere?" she smirked at her presumed doppelganger.

"Bugger off!" the feminine voice snarled irritably. And then, faster than even her eye could follow, the girl was streaking past her and down the steps, plowing directly into Barton as he raced upward.

"Whoa," Caitlin breathed, caught completely off-guard. The girl was _fast_ , maybe almost as fast as Surge could be when fully charged up.

She trotted down the steps to help Barton back to his feet. He clutched the back of his head where it had banged up against the steps. "What the hell just hit me?" he groaned.

Both Natasha and Rebecca arrived, coming to a halt on the staircase next to them. "They get away?" Natasha demanded.

"She," Caitlin corrected quietly, gazing down past the confused guard and at the door that was just now swinging shut. "Definitely a model similar to the two of us. And yeah, she rabbited. She's pretty damn fast."

"Strong, too," Barton testified. "Felt like a linebacker hit me, not as hard as you hit, Cat, but plenty powerful."

Natasha sighed. "Right. Well, anything else for me to include in my report, depressing a job as that will be?"

"Yeah," the brunette girl replied. "She said something."

"Really? Okay, what?" the redheaded woman demanded.

"Bugger off."

Both Barton and Natasha looked at each other curiously. "Bugger off?"

Caitlin by this point was looking at her sister, both of them with identically thoughtful expressions. "Yep. Just that. And it opens up some interesting possibilities."

Barton scoffed lightly. "Okay, geniuses, what am I missing?"

"One, she is not activated. The activated ones do not speak," Rebecca intoned, her eyes never leaving her sister's. "Two, if I understand correctly, that is a phrase in use by those from the British Islands. Which might indicate her country of origin, or at the very least the lab that she originated from."

"And three," Caitlin murmured subaudibly as Barton and Natasha faced each other again, a voice so soft that only Rebecca would hear her. "We potentially have another sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have a new character on the stage. As you might have guessed from the admittedly brief dialogue, she's of British origin. As you read her lines in the coming chapters, try to imagine Hermione speaking. That's what is in my head, anyway. As I'm not British myself, save for distant English and Scots (which, yes, I realize does not count) ancestry, I'm pretty much winging the slang, though I've done research. Apologies to those of proper British standing if I make a total botch job of it.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	4. Chapter 4

Avengers / S.H.I.E.L.D. Facility  
Upstate New York

"Are you sure it is wise to be withholding information regarding the model?" Rebecca whispered from her seat next to her sister.

Caitlin sighed gently. "Not entirely, no." The brunette leaned forward, her elbows on the surface of the conference table and chin propped in her hands. "But for now we should play this close to our chests," she continued in a soft murmur. "You know they're gonna want to capture her anyways."

"And we are the most qualified to do so."

"Yep. If they think this is just another activated model, then they won't suspect our real motives."

Rebecca glanced over at the diminutive brunette, sudden understanding lighting up her pale green eyes. "You do not intend to capture her."

"Becca, she's like us. I just wanna talk to her."

"And if she does not wish to do so?"

Caitlin shrugged carelessly. "Then we'll improvise, like always."

The redheaded girl rolled her eyes. "Have I informed you lately of just how exasperating you can be?"

"I think so. Or was it obnoxious earlier? Maybe it was irritating, I get that a lot, too."

Rebecca smiled softly despite herself. "Yes, you are all of that and more. But, as usual, you have my support."

The brunette gave her sister a gentle bump with her shoulder. "Thanks, sis," she whispered.

"Alright, people," Fury said from the head of the room, halting the whispered conversations from within. "Let's go over what we have so far."

Maria Hill nodded from her seat next to the imposing former Director. "Sir, we still don't have a good read on the items missing so far. A search has pulled up more possibilities, but some of these are from private collections. There's a good chance we're not getting the full picture here, especially if some collections are of the illegal variety."

"But we do think they're connected," Barton interjected. "Right?"

"I think it's safe to assume that, yes," Fury replied evenly. "But what's their purpose?"

Caitlin sighed heavily in resignation. "Magic."

"We don't know that for sure," Natasha objected.

"But we may assume this to be the case," Rebecca said in her sister's defense. "Each item may not be easily identifiable as mystical, but if they are brought together, perhaps they become something more?"

Fury grunted irritably. "Hill, do you have Miss Maximoff's report?"

"Yes, sir," Maria replied, tapping another key on her handheld. "Without being able to actually come in contact with one of the stolen items she can't tell for sure. It's possible, though. Wanda's theory matches up pretty closely with Caitlin and Rebecca's."

"Can I ask something?" the brunette girl said hesitantly. "How did we get the picture of the first item, the one from the pawn shop? Don't we have that one in our possession?"

"We did," Fury sighed once more. "It was quickly lost again before we figured out the possible significance." He turned to the main screen, tapping a key on the handheld sitting at his place, and a familiar face popped up on the screen. "Joshua Cox. Also known as Skeeter. Pretty much a dead end there as well, we don't have any idea of his connections to the robberies, other than he was associated with the group doing the robberies. Petty criminal mostly, he did some time for assault."

"But no robbery or theft," Caitlin noted, looking at his criminal record on the screen there. "So most likely he wasn't involved in the actual stealings, it's just our mystery girl from Montreal."

The room was silent for almost a full minute as those within mused over what they had so far.

"We've got to get a better idea of what these items are for," Fury muttered irritably. "Where can we find someone with extensive magical knowledge?"

Caitlin broke into a sudden grin. "You know, I might just have a guy…"

* * *

Downtown New York City

Perhaps an hour later the sisters found themselves on the walkway leading up to a decrepit-looking old Victorian-style house. Most of the neighborhood was similarly in shambles.

Caitlin walked confidently up the rickety steps and to the front door, knocking firmly before stepping back with her hands clasped behind her.

"Are you sure this is the correct place?" Rebecca asked, looking around the deserted-looking neighborhood warily.

"Yeah, totally. It's concealed." Caitlin shot her sister a grin. "'Cause, you know, magic."

"This would appear to be more the scene from a horror novel than the residence of a powerful sorcerer."

The brunette wiggled her fingers in front of Rebecca's face. "Spoooky maaagic…"

"Please stop that."

"Spoilsport. Do you feel better now that you got your knives back?"

Rebecca smiled and patted a random spot on the outside her black leather jacket jacket. "Yes, immensely so."

"Won't do you any good once we're inside, of course…"

"If we are ever able to obtain entry."

"...Because, you know," Caitlin continued, ignoring the interruption. "Maaagic."

Rebecca closed her eyes, first inhaling and then exhaling slowly. If she didn't know better, the brunette could have sworn her sister was counting to ten in her head. "Are we to remain on the porch for the rest of the evening?" she finally asked testily.

"Cranky, aren't we? No, lemme try something." She cleared her throat and began to speak very clearly. "Hello, my name is Caitlin Brown. I met with Dr. Strange some time ago. I would like to see him again. Um, please."

For a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen. "That did not appear to be very effective," Rebecca murmured.

"Maybe the house is hard of hearing."

"The house?"

"Well, yeah. It's a maaagic house." Caitlin wiggled her fingers in front of Rebecca's face again.

"Caitlin, I shall dump a glass of ice water on you the next time you shower," the redhead deadpanned.

"Oooh, gettin' feisty there, Becca."

The pair of diminutive girls looked up as the door in front of them suddenly creaked open, revealing a small and dusty foyer.

"I am becoming more uneasy with this endeavor," Rebecca stated nervously.

"Oh, come on, he's a decent guy. I think. For a sorcerer." Caitlin stepped forward, dragging her reluctant sister with her. "Relax, it'll be fine!"

The door slammed shut behind them, plunging them into momentary darkness. Rebecca let out a very small whimper.

"See, this is what you get for reading those kinds of books," Caitlin chided gently. "What are you worried about?"

"Nothing!" Rebecca replied quickly, her voice pitched just a shade higher than usual. "Nothing whatsoever!"

The double doors in front of them opened on soundless hinges, revealing a more brightly-lit room. As the sisters inched forward, their shoulders touching as Rebecca stuck just as closely to her sister as she could, the details of the room became clearer.

There was an enormous chandelier above, rotating ever so slightly. Dual staircases led up to the second story, where a balcony encircled the entire entryway. Marble tiles lined the floor, while the walls were covered in polished wooden panels, though bare of further ornamentation. There were no other furnishings in the room, nor were there any doors.

"Is it just me," Caitlin mused, "or is this room alone about as big as the house looked from the outside?"

"It is not just you," Rebecca whispered harshly. "And if something jumps out to eat us, I shall blame you entirely."

"Will you relax-" the brunette started to say but was then cut off by a booming voice.

"WHO DARES DISTURB THE SORCERER SUPREME?"

" _Eep_ ," Rebecca squeaked, unabashedly ducking behind her brunette sister.

"Um, hi there," Caitlin replied to the disembodied voice. "Like I said outside, I'm Caitlin Brown. Oh, and this is my sister Rebecca. We need to speak with Dr. Strange, please."

"WAIT THERE AND DO NOT MOVE."

"You betcha," the brunette said with a quick nod. She turned her head slightly so that she might murmur over her shoulder. "See? Nothing to worry about."

"I am most unhappy with you right now."

Caitlin snorted softly. "Will you relax?"

"Stop telling me to relax," Rebecca replied sharply. "I find nothing about this situation relaxing. In fact, I would go so far as to say this is the exact _opposite_ of relaxing."

The brunette sighed good-naturedly and turned her body slightly so that she might wrap an arm around her visibly trembling sister. "I don't get you sometimes," she murmured, humor lacing her words. "You're this kick-ass warrior chick who can heal any wound in a matter of seconds. I saw you pull a knife out of your belly and stab it through the guy's eye who used it on you. Why is a spooky house making you so nervous?"

"I do not know," Rebecca whispered. "But these feelings are most unwelcome."

"Well, I got you," Caitlin said reassuringly. "Not gonna let anything happen to you. And if there _is_ something in here to eat us, I'll let it munch on me first so you can escape. That make you feel better?"

Rebecca snorted humorously, her nervousness visibly easing. "You are foolish. As if I would ever leave you behind."

"It's 'cause of my winning personality, right?"

"It is because you are my sister and I love you," the redhead said softly yet intently. "I would walk through the gates of hell to protect you."

"Very poetic," Caitlin giggled. "But you're wrong."

"Pardon?"

"No way would I let you have that kinda fun on your own. I'd be right there beside you."

"You are a dork."

"And you're a nerd. Feeling better, though?"

"Immensely. Thank you."

"Anytime."

Their enhanced hearing picked up on a soft sound from above, and both girls looked up sharply to view a rather distinguished-looking man walking down the staircase. He wore black trousers and a simple white dress shirt, without a tie and open at the neck, while his shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. Caitlin noticed that he didn't have the fancy cape on this time.

"Greetings, Caitlin and Rebecca. Welcome to my humble abode."

"Hi again, Doc," the brunette grinned. "Sorry for the intrusion, but we needed to ask you some questions."

"Indeed. I had anticipated your arrival, but it was not to be until the morrow. I suppose the time stream is fluctuating slightly."

"Um, yeah, okay," she replied neutrally. "So, this is my sister Rebecca. She was the one I was trying to rescue the last time. Um, thanks for the message about that, by the way, it did help."

"Of course," he smiled as his dress shoes reached the marble floor. "I am pleased to finally meet you, Rebecca."

"Er, likewise," the redhead stammered out, her usual eloquence failing her.

Dr. Strange smiled widely, the motion making his dark goatee spread across his face. "Shall we retire to my parlor? It would be more comfortable for our conversation."

"What-" Caitlin broke off as one of the wood panels slid aside to reveal another room, furnished with luxurious couches and overstuffed chairs. "Oh, that parlor. Yeah, sure thing."

They entered the room, the wall sealing behind them as they did so. Strange took a chair facing a cozy loveseat, where the sisters perched themselves. Rebecca's hand visibly twitched as if she was restraining herself from grabbing hold of the brunette's hand.

"You need not be nervous," the man smiled at her reassuringly. "No harm shall come to you in this place."

"I am not nervous," Rebecca muttered. "Merely cautious."

"Of course," Strange murmured. "Now then, would you care for refreshments?"

"Sweetened tea, please?" Caitlin asked. "For the both of us."

Strange nodded genially, and a pair of tall, frosty glasses appeared on the low wooden coffee table in between them.

"Well, that's handy," the brunette grinned as she reached for her glass.

"Now then, I have some idea of why you have come," Strange began. "This concerns several items which have gone missing, am I correct?"

"Yep, that's it exactly," Caitlin replied, not surprised in the least that the sorcerer already knew their task. "I've got a picture of one here…" She dug the creased photo out of her jean jacket pocket, smoothing it out on her lap before passing it across.

"Yes, I see," he murmured, looking at it intently. "This is as I feared. You were correct to come to me on this matter."

"See?" Caitlin smirked at her sister.

Rebecca rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You are insufferable."

"Oh, hey, that's a new one. I'll add it to obnoxious, irritating, and exasperating."

Strange smiled at the girls gently. "I saw hints of this bond you share on the aether," he murmured. "Now that I see it before me, I am surprised at the depth of it. Do either of you realize just how special this bond is, how unusual it is?"

"We have an idea about it, yeah," Caitlin smiled.

"And we are very thankful for it as well," Rebecca said softly.

Strange nodded as if coming to a decision. "Before I reveal to you the nature of these objects, I will pass along a piece of advice."

Caitlin sat up a little straighter. The last time this sorcerer gave her advice, it saved Rebecca's life, and she was not about to take it lightly.

"You have an opportunity before you," Strange intoned quietly. "A chance to turn another's path. Your bond can increase to include one more if you are persistent." He sighed regretfully. "I cannot see a clear path before the two of you, there is something about this bond of yours that seems to interfere with my inner vision when it concerns you. But this much you must know. No one is beyond redemption, no matter what they have done in the past."

Caitlin smiled at him, her eyes shining with emotion. "Thanks, Doc," she whispered.

"Indeed," Rebecca added softly. "It is gratifying to know we are correct in our assumptions."

"We?" Caitlin interjected humorously.

"Yes, we," her sister retorted. "I did agree to this course of action, did I not?"

"True enough. You've always had my back."

"And I always shall. Now, about these items?"

"Yes," Strange replied, sitting back in his chair. "You were correct to assume they are of a mystical origin. In fact, they are keys."

"Keys?" Caitlin asked curiously. "Keys to what?"

"A prison," Strange said ominously.

"I do not like the sound of that," Rebecca whispered.

"These artifacts date back to the earliest of the Chinese dynasties, the Xia Dynasty to be precise, though they are often mistakenly dated later than that," Strange began. "There are ten of them in all. Four thousand years ago, they were used to seal away a demon who had gained entrance onto our plane of existence. Her name was Baigujing."

The sorcerer glanced up to see that both of the girls were sitting on the edge of the sofa, enraptured by the tale. He chuckled lightly. "I am surprised the two of you are so entranced with my story."

"Oh, we both like a good story," Caitlin grinned.

Rebecca nodded solemnly. "Yes, most definitely. Please continue."

"Very well," Strange smiled. "So these demons, or _Yaoguai_ as the Chinese call them, are mostly malevolent animal spirits or fallen celestial beings who try to somehow achieve immortality and power. The evil ones, called _guai_ , like Baigujing are particularly bothersome as they use foul methods to achieve this elevation of status."

The man held out his right hand, palm up, and an old book floated over from a previously unnoticed bookshelf, though with the nature of the house it could very well simply not existed there before. "This book is called _Journey to the West_. This particular version by William John Francis Jenner tells the story of Baigujing, roughly translated into English as 'White Bone Spirit'. The story is somewhat fanciful, and unfortunately, the demise of the spirit in this telling is far from factual, but it does give us some insight as to how Baigujing was seen. She mostly manifested as a skeletal figure, though she could take the form of a simple though comely human girl."

Strange closed the book and it vanished in a small puff of dust. "What this text does not reveal is how Baigujing got her power. She managed to seduce a powerful sorcerer, who should have been able to see her true form as Sun Wukong does in Jenner's tale. But he did not, and fell victim to her insatiable appetite. Where things seemed to have gone wrong, however, was that this sorcerer was also the host to another unidentified spirit, one who was biding its time before taking him over.

"Baigujing took the sorcerer's power as well as this other spirit's, and she grew immensely strong. The sorcerers of the region banded together to fight this new threat, but she overcame most of them, each one's essence becoming part of her own and magnifying her power."

Strange tapped his finger against the photograph of the mystical item that Caitlin had placed there. "Ten of the strongest who were left each created a shard of their soul and placed it into an item. They then were able to summon Baigujing and contain her briefly, long enough for their combined efforts to succeed in binding her into a prison within the ethereal plane. Each sorcerer lost their life in the process, but Baigujing was sealed away from our world."

He sat back, eyes twinkling as he noted that the girls were perched even further forward in their seats. "The ten items were scattered throughout the realm, and then the world. Their curators have gone to dust without passing along the information of what these items are exactly, or what would happen if they were to be brought together once more."

Rebecca cleared her throat lightly. "Um, pardon me, sir. How, then, would someone know to bring these ten items together again?"

"Ah, you make an excellent point, young Rebecca," he said. The redhead flushed slightly at the praise, while a grinning Caitlin bumped her shoulder proudly. "You see, there is one other text, passed along down the ages through the descendants of one of the original ten sorcerers. It is called _Mowang_ , literally translated as a _Yaoguai_ leader, or more loosely, the Demon Queen. The original was lost long ago, but I came across a translation once in a Tibetan monastery. I have recently ascertained that this copy has since disappeared."

"So, what did the text say?" Caitlin asked breathlessly. "What happens if the ten items are brought together?"

"Every thousand years or so, the ethereal prison of Baigujing comes close enough that the seals can be broken. These ten items can be used to summon her from her prison back to our plane. If the summoner is of sufficiently strong will, he or she might be able to control her." Strange smiled tightly, his face grim. "As even myself would be hard-pressed to do so, the more likely outcome would be that Baigujing would once again be loosed upon this world."

"Well, that sucks," Caitlin commented wryly. "So, do you know where we can find the other items?"

"I do indeed, my young warrior friend." Strange snapped his fingers together and a small folded piece of paper appeared in his palm. He extended his hand and it drifted forward so that the brunette might be able to snatch it out of the air. "Six of the items still remain at large. Unfortunately, I am unable to focus on where the other four have been taken, likely due to the same interference that I experience with the two of you."

"The other model," Caitlin whispered, glancing at her sister.

"Indeed. I suspect the three of you will have your fates intertwined before long, and the possibility of such is blocking me in the here and now."

"Can you help us further?" Rebecca asked quietly.

Strange sighed again and shook his head. "I cannot yet. The fates have decreed that I may only intervene if you have failed in your task. And this task does belong to the two of you. It may or may not fall upon another's shoulders as well, but that has yet to be determined."

"That's a pretty tall order, Doc," Caitlin complained.

"But one for which you are both eminently capable of." Strange rose to his feet, smiling encouragingly. "Take heart, for the two of you together will surely achieve victory in this challenge." He shrugged nonchalantly. "That, or a great darkness will befall the land. The fates are vacillating as to that point."

"So, as usual, no pressure, then," the brunette sighed.

Fifteen minutes later saw the sisters walking back down the rickety steps and onto the broken and debris-littered sidewalk. Caitlin had the paper in her hands and was reading through the list intently, while Rebecca had her by the arm, steering her around some of the more odious piles of refuse.

"They're all pretty close here on the East coast," Caitlin muttered. "I wonder if that's providence, or if they already got the more far-flung ones."

"This group may have been obtaining the items for some time," Rebecca mused thoughtfully. "Or have been using the time to locate them."

"Either way, we got an advantage now. If we can figure out where she'll hit next, we can intercept her."

"And then what?" Rebecca asked softly, her pale green eyes concerned. "Will you risk the release of this monster to save one who may or may not want to be saved?"

Caitlin sighed, tucking the list back into the pocket of her jean jacket. "I have to try, Becca," she murmured. "I have to at least try." She looked sideways at her sister, whose arm was still entwined with her own even though they were clear of the dirty sidewalk. "You okay with that?"

"You know I shall always support your actions, Caitlin," the redhead smiled softly. "No matter how implausible or unbelievable they may be."

"And I you, Becca," the brunette replied, leaning over to give her freckled cheek a quick peck.

"Then let us do this."

"Yep. Let's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not much action in this short chapter, mostly just set-up for the later ones. I brought Dr. Strange into my stories in the MCU with my last one, _Unbound_. 
> 
> Mad props to my Beta, **KellyConnely** , and thank you all for reading so far.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	5. Chapter 5

Boston Museum of Fine Arts

"You did not explain why we are at this particular location," Rebecca murmured softly over the comm.

"I didn't? Sorry, Becca," Caitlin said abashedly. "Guess I got kinda wrapped up in the planning of everything."

"It is not a concern. I have been most impressed with your decisiveness and foresight. It is somewhat unusual for you."

"Um, thanks? I think?"

"I would still like to know the reasoning, if I may."

"Right!" Caitlin eased her posture to get more comfortable in her perch up among the rafters. "So, the top three most likely to be hit next are this one, the one down in New York City, and the one over in Chicago. There's actually a big party at the New York one tomorrow night, so I figure that's the better opportunity to either case the place out, as it's a private residence, or even to hit it under the cover of all the activity."

"I am following your reasoning so far."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. So the one in Chicago, yeah it's a good possibility, but the one here, now…" The brunette glanced around the spacious exhibit room that she was overlooking. "It's part of a collection, and this is the last night it will be on display before it's moved back into a vault."

"So you believe this location has the higher chance of an encounter," Rebecca summarized.

"Exactly. And so here we are, while Clint and Tasha cover the Chicago one just to be safe."

"Very well. Thank you, Caitlin." Rebecca paused for a few heartbeats. "Also, I believe the guards are locking up now. Are they aware of our presence?"

"Nope."

"I see."

"Just keep your eyes open and wait for my signal."

"Would this be the usual signal?"

"Yep."

Caitlin grinned as she heard her sister sigh softly over the comm. "You may as well add melodramatic to your list of descriptors."

"Fair enough. Now hush, Becca. Stealthy, remember?"

"Very well."

They remained in place for almost an hour without moving a muscle. Were she to be honest with herself, which she seemed to be more often than not lately, she missed the opportunity to banter with her sister.

_*Maybe you'll just have to settle for us.*_

_Why, Eric, are you jealous?_

_*Not really. I enjoy your sister's wit.*_

_/I do question both of your judgments on this matter, though./_

Caitlin rolled her eyes, the only motion she allowed herself save for shallow and slow breathing. _Yes, Chris, you made that opinion known. You also didn't trust Becca at first._

_/And you still trust too easily./_

_Not true. I'm here lying in wait, aren't I? Not standing out in the open?_

_/That's just so you don't spook her./_

_Well, yeah, that too._

_*Ease off, man. I trust Cat on this. The other girl deserves a chance.*_

_/But how do you know she will be like Becca? That she would even want to pursue a relationship with the two of you, be like a sister?/_

_I don't. That's why I'm being cautious. Relax, Chris. We got this._

_/And if you don't?/_

_You guys know the answer to that._

Eric's voice chuckled in her head. _*You really should make your middle name Improvisation. That would be hilarious.*_

_And accurate._

As she conversed internally, the diminutive brunette kept her eyes open and the rest of her enhanced senses extended. She'd opted for her operations outfit of a dark blue jumpsuit, as did Rebecca, but left her feet bare for greater traction up in the rafters. She was fairly certain she was near invisible to someone with even as sharp an eye as she or her sister, though she wasn't entirely sure on the capabilities of this different model. Already she knew that the other girl was incredibly fast, though she was perhaps not as strong as either her or Rebecca. Other than that, anything could be possible.

And then she felt it. The subtle shift as the room pressure changed, signaling the opening of a portal somewhere. She grinned to herself tightly. _Showtime._

A blur of motion crossed her field of vision, streaking towards the display case set in the middle of the room. A dark figure halted in front of it, suddenly confused as to the presence of a glass cube encasing the object of her attention that had not been there a short while ago.

Caitlin dropped to the floor, landing lightly perhaps ten feet from the burglar, who spun around into a defensive crouch.

"Not gonna be that easy this time," Caitlin smirked.

"Cor!" the girl murmured, startled. "Where'd you drop in from?" she continued in a lilting British accent.

The brunette pointed upwards. "Just hanging about like a bat. Or maybe a cat. Anyways, you got a minute to talk this time before you scamper off again?"

"And why should I trust you? You just gonna let me nick the bleedin' trophy and be on my way?"

"Something like that," Caitlin replied mildly, careful to keep her arms at her sides. "Really, I just wanna talk." She peered into the familiar pale green eyes behind the black mask. "Look, I already know you're like me. You mind taking the mask off?"

"Why?

"Just curious how much like me you look."

The other girl stood there motionless, her head tilted to the side as she regarded the petite brunette warily.

"Budge up. You're too close to me for comfort, all right?"

"Oh, okay, sorry." Caitlin took several steps back so that she was perhaps fifteen feet away. The girl's back was to the entrance of the room, the door to which was now ajar.

"Right. Suppose I'm easy, then." The girl reached up and pulled her hood off to shake out a head of blonde hair. It was cut in a style that started high up in back above the nape of her neck and then extended down to points that framed her chin.

Otherwise, she was an exact copy of Caitlin.

"Well," the brunette murmured.

"Yeah," the blonde replied blandly. "Crackin', huh?"

Caitlin chuckled lightly. "I'm having a hell of a time following you sometimes."

"Might say the same of you Yanks." The other girl shook her head bemusedly. "Wonder what you're all on about myself."

"So, what lab did you come from? I'm guessing overseas, huh?"

The blonde sighed, restlessly fidgeting with the mask clenched in her hands. "Look, you need to just get stuffed, right? Time's short, and I have to knock this off soonerer rather than laterer."

"Um, yeah, I think I follow you. And that's okay."

She looked at Caitlin askance. "Are you takin' the piss?"

The brunette snorted softly. "Really wish I had a translator here… Oh! Sorry, no, I'm not making fun of you or anything."

_How do you understand her so well, Chris?_

_/Had a girlfriend in college, she was from England./_

_Excellent. Not just a conscience, but a translator as well._

Chris snorted softly in her head, the sound a bit disconcerting as always. _/Don't push it./_

"You can't stop me from legging it right out of here," the blonde girl stated firmly.

"Well, for starters, it's not just me here," Caitlin grinned.

The startled blonde girl whirled again to see Rebecca now standing in front of the entrance. The redheaded girl quietly closed the door behind her and then leaned up against it while twirling a knife in her hand idly.

"Look, I just wanna talk, honest," Caitlin implored, trying again. "Can't you tell me what's going on with you? Why you're doing this?"

"Bollocks," she snorted in reply, turning back to face the brunette again. "You want my life story? Doubt it's all that different from you lot."

"You'd be surprised," Caitlin murmured.

Without further warning, the blonde whirled, her mask wrapped around her hand as she smashed into the glass. She grabbed the item and then sped by Caitlin in a flash.

Instead of heading towards the exit, however, she nimbly hopped between display cabinets and up a large sculpture until she was perched on a rafter, similar to where Caitlin had been located. Except that this one lay below one of the large skylights overhead.

"Hey," Caitlin called up to her, not even trying to follow. "Can you at least tell us your name?"

The blonde girl paused, her hand on the latch to the skylight, and then sighed resignedly. "Fine. Call me Abby."

Caitlin gave her a nod and a smile as Rebecca walked up to stand next to her. "See you around, Abby."

"Not bloody likely," Abby smirked back. "Cheerio, then."

As she slipped out of the skylight, both of the girls' enhanced hearing picked up on her last muttered words.

"Daft bugger."

"So, they now possess five of the ten items," Rebecca commented quietly as the sisters turned and made for the exit.

"Yep," Caitlin confirmed unworriedly. "And we now have a name."

* * *

Chinatown, New York City  
Rebecca and Caitlin's Apartment

The door to the eclectically decorated apartment swung open to allow entry for the two sisters. They trudged in wordlessly, each lost in their own thoughts, or in Caitlin's case her internal conversation, as Rebecca closed and locked the door behind them. Both girls headed on up the open staircase to their room.

"So we have no action to take until tomorrow night, correct?" Rebecca finally asked quietly as they entered the bedroom.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's right. Why, you got plans?"

"I do in fact," she said smugly. "I am meeting Sam uptown for a late dinner."

"Oooh, nice, a dinner date!" Caitlin smirked. "Should I expect you home tonight?"

"You shall eventually, yes. I believe we will take a walk after dinner."

"Alrighty then. Want help getting ready?"

"I will shower first, but then, yes, please."

Caitlin whistled to herself tunelessly as she stripped off her jumpsuit and then sat, naked, in front of the laptop. She heard the shower turn on next door as she opened the lid, the Stark Enterprises logo briefly displaying as it turned on.

The brunette girl propped her chin in her left hand while she logged into her email, smiling briefly as she saw that she'd gotten several since she was up in Boston, including one from Lisa.

Before she knew it, Rebecca was tapping her on the shoulder while she finished up an email to Jolene, her friend from the camp she had attended years ago.

"Oh! You ready?"

"Yes, please," Rebecca replied, handing her a hairbrush. "Would you mind braiding my hair for me?"

"Yeah, no problem, Becca."

As she ran the brush through her sister's long, silky red hair, the freckled girl began to hum contentedly. "I greatly enjoy this," Rebecca confessed. "I am not sure why this is so very soothing."

Caitlin shrugged slightly. "I dunno either. Suppose it's enough that it is, right?"

She began to twirl her nimble fingers through the hair, and in a very short while her sister had a neat braid tied off with a small black scrunchie.

"All set!" Caitlin proclaimed.

Rebecca turned on the bed where they sat and flashed her a wide smile. "Thank you, Caitlin." She hesitated slightly. "You have never told me where you learned to braid hair."

"Kitty taught me," the brunette replied with a smile of her own. "Used to practice on Rogue. They tried to show me a french braid, but that was too much like crocheting, for some reason I just couldn't get the hang of it. I'll stick with a regular braid."

"And you do it very well," Rebecca commented as she rose to slip her sandals on. She gave herself a little twirl, causing her sleeveless emerald green dress to flare out slightly where it fell to her knees. "Do you believe I look acceptable?"

"More than," Caitlin snickered. "You look hot. Ten bucks says Sam drools over you all night."

"I will not accept that bet," Rebecca replied loftily before smirking. "As I believe he shall as well."

Caitlin rose up to give her a hug. "You have fun tonight, okay? Lemme know if you need anything."

"I shall," Rebecca whispered. "Thank you, Caitlin. And do try to stay out of trouble this evening."

The brunette snorted softly. "Hey, it's me!" She turned her head slightly to give her sister a quick kiss on the cheek. "See ya. Love you, sis."

Rebecca returned the gesture. "I love you as well, Caitlin."

She sat back down at the laptop as Rebecca skipped down the steps and out of the apartment.

_Just us for the night, guys._

_*Wanna watch a movie?*_

_True, we haven't had a movie night alone in a while, have we? Anything good still on the list?_

_*Oh, yeah, tons. What are you in the mood for?*_

Caitlin hummed to herself thoughtfully as she rose from her chair. She grabbed a sundress and slipped it over her head and then tucked her cell phone into her pocket. While she usually wandered around the upstairs in the nude, she tried to remain dressed while down on the main floor in case of surprise visitors.

_How about a comedy?_

_/I think we have some of those left./_

_*Yep. How does_ Space Balls _sound?*_

_Is it funny?_

_/With your shared sense of humor, the pair of you? Yeah, you'll be in stitches./_

_Alright then,_ she grinned to herself as she vaulted the railing and landed on catlike feet. _I'll get the popcorn and then fire up the Netflix._

As she walked into the kitchen her cell phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket, curious if Rebecca needed something, but then grinned tightly as she saw the message.

"Excellent," she murmured to herself as she read Director Coulson's missive. "Three tickets to the gala. Looks like we're going to a party tomorrow night the official way for a change."

* * *

Central Park, New York City

"Are they following us?" Roxanne asked nervously.

"I think they are," Monica whispered back.

The couple, a pair of brunettes in their early twenties, quickened their pace down the otherwise deserted path. Monica pulled her white knit cap further down on her pixie-cut hair and clung to her girlfriend tightly. "What do we do, Roxy?" she hissed.

"I don't know, Mon," the brunette with shoulder-length hair replied, her eyes scanning around. "I don't see any cops…"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I thought this would be romantic," Monica moaned. "Shoulda known better than to walk through Central Park after dark."

"Well, it's not like we're big-city girls," Roxanne tried to reassure her.

"This ain't Blacksburg, that's for sure," Monica tried to joke weakly, but she pulled to a halt as she noticed where their path had taken them. "Oh, no," she breathed.

They had reached a tunnel leading under another pathway, but at the other end were a pair of dark figures, much like the other four that had been tailing them for some time.

"Mon," Roxanne whimpered.

"Get ready to run, Roxy," her girlfriend whispered, trying to sound confident.

"Well, well," a raucous voice sounded from behind them. "Now, what's a pretty couple of dykes like you girls doing all the way out here, huh? You look lonely."

The pair turned to see that the other four, all young white men and dressed in jeans and stylish jackets, had finally closed the gap now that their trap had been sprung.

"Please, just leave us alone," Roxanne pleaded.

"Not just yet, sweet thing, we wanna have some fun first…"

"You will leave them alone, now," a clear voice rang out, piercing the darkness. Everyone turned to regard the small redheaded girl who stepped forward from where she had walked down from the upper path. Trailing behind her bemusedly was a fit-looking dark-skinned man who seemed vaguely familiar to Monica, though she couldn't quite place the face.

"I'm sorry, what was that, you little bitch?" the ringleader grinned. "Did you just volunteer to join our party?"

"My apologies as well, I did not realize you were as hard of hearing as you are apparently lacking in education and judgment. I informed you that you will be leaving these two women alone." The petite girl stopped not five feet away from the group of men, who were now circling the girl with wicked leers on their faces.

"And what about you, asshole?" the leader directed to the other man who was now circling around to reach Monica and Roxanne.

"Nah, I'm keepin' outta this," he replied nonchalantly. "Have fun, dear," he smirked towards the small redhead.

"Thank you, my love," the girl replied with a smirk of her own. Her face became serious again. "Now, did I overhear you correctly in that you were insulting them for their sexual preference?"

"Bitch, you got a fancy way of talking," the leader growled. "I got a better use for that pretty mouth of yours."

The redhead sighed. "I tire of this already. Please at the very least make this a challenge."

The leader blinked at her uncertainly, not used to being treated as an insignificant threat.

"Sam, I do not have the talent my sister does at beginning fights," the girl called out. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Sam by that point had reached the pair of very nervous girls. "Try insulting his manhood, Becca," he chuckled. He turned to Monica and Roxanne. "Relax, girls, we're the good guys. Just stick behind me, okay?"

"Is she going to be okay?" Monica whispered anxiously.

"More than," Sam grinned. "Sit back and enjoy the show."

Rebecca cleared her throat, turning back to face the leader again. "Very well. You have a very small penis and any woman would find you completely insufficient and unsatisfying. Was that acceptable?"

The man snarled in inarticulate rage as he swung a meaty fist at the small and insolent girl's face, wishing to teach her a quick lesson. Instead, his hand was intercepted with a loud _smack_ by a tiny yet unmovable one.

"Excellent," the girl grinned. The heel of her right hand shot upward, smashing him under his chin and lifting him up on his toes. The sound of several teeth fracturing was clear. Without another word, the man flopped inelegantly onto his back, out cold.

One of the thugs had much better reflexes than his brethren and lunged to the attack. Rebecca sent a foot flying out to intercept him, doubling him over as it buried in his gut. She swung that leg back to the ground and pivoted on it, sending a spin-kick into his face and a bright spray of blood across the pathway as he flailed backwards.

Another of the gang tried to grapple her from behind, but she nimbly slipped to the side, lashing out with her foot once again, this time shattering his kneecap. He howled briefly in pain before her fist connected with his temple, dropping him like a stone.

Rebecca's enhanced hearing picked up on the subtle sound of metal sliding against leather, and she whirled once more, her red braid flying out behind her like a crimson spear. She brought her arm up to intercept the knife, and it entered in-between her radius and ulna.

Her attacker gaped at the sight of the tiny slip of a girl standing there unflinchingly, with his knife embedded in her forearm, before she twisted it out of his grasp. She glanced down at her now blood-spattered green outfit. "This was my favorite dress," she growled. He didn't have the chance to even react before she grabbed his own forearm, squeezing sharply until his bones shattered. Her foot lashed out and into his chest, sending the wailing man flying backwards to crash up against a large tree and then drop to the ground, unconscious.

The redheaded girl pulled the knife out of her forearm and regarded it dispassionately. "I feel vaguely insulted that such an inferior blade was used on me," she mused before snapping it in two and dropping it to the ground.

She stood there, blood dripping to the ground, and turned her pale green eyes on the remaining two attackers. Their eyes widened as she lifted her arm up, wiping the blood away to reveal that her wound had already closed. It was enough to break them, and they took off into the night.

"What, you're not gonna run them down?" Sam asked humorously.

"I will not," she confirmed, walking back over to him. She took the time to trod heavily on the hand of the leader, grinding it into the ground and breaking a few more bones. When he woke with a wail of pain, she sent her foot lashing out to slam his head back onto the concrete, out cold once more.

"There," she said with a satisfied smirk. "Now I feel better."

"You know, most guys try to show their girlfriend a good time by taking them dancing or something," he chuckled. "You, I find a brawl."

"I have never pretended to be a normal girl, Sam," she said softly, looking down at the ground.

"No, you're not," he replied just as softly, lifting her face up with a finger under her chin. "And I love you just the way you are."

She smiled up at him brilliantly. "And I love you, Sam. Thank you for allowing me to indulge myself." Rebecca stood up on her tiptoes to place a short but sweet kiss on her boyfriend's lips and then turned to the dumbfounded pair of girls next. "Would you like an escort out of the park?" she asked politely.

"Um, yes please," Monica replied, nonplussed.

"Thanks for saving our asses," Roxanne added as they started walking.

"It was my pleasure, truly," the redheaded girl replied. "My name is Rebecca, and this is Sam."

"I'm Monica, and this is my girlfriend Roxanne."

They walked towards the closest entrance to Central Park in silence for a bit, Rebecca clinging to Sam's arm and both Monica and Roxanne holding each other's hand.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, Becca?"

"Would you like to take me dancing sometime?"

He chuckled lightly. "I'd love to. How about this Friday night?"

"I do not know how to dance, however."

"It's easy, babe. Kinda like combat but with a lot less physical contact."

"Oh. Then I shall hopefully learn quickly."

"I'm sure you will, babe. I'm sure you will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest with you, I don't write a lot of hetero pairings. Becca and Sam are quickly turning into one of my favorites, though. I like the idea of the Falcon being this tough guy who's secure enough in his masculinity that he doesn't mind stepping back and letting his girlfriend kick ass.
> 
> Little more dialogue from our burglar, and now we have a name to go with the mysterious figure! Also threw in some from Chris and Eric, showing that yes they're still kicking around inside Caitlin's head. Of Kyle, there's still no word, however.
> 
> Next chapter will be a little bit of a change, as I'm going to switch over to Abby's viewpoint for at least the first half of it.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	6. Chapter 6

Sands Point, Long Island

Abby smiled as she was helped out of the cab by a friendly doorman. "Ta," she thanked him briefly, easily striding past in her light blue heels that matched her slinky dress perfectly. It emphasized what little cleavage she had, hopefully enough to distract those who might otherwise take an undue notice in her attention to the location's security.

The large Victorian-style mansion was located in an upscale area just outside the city. The owner, Dale Armitage, was a wealthy businessman, philanthropist, and collector of exotics who had a past most polite folk tended to gloss over. If they knew what was good for their health, that is.

It was the antiquities hobby that brought Abby there tonight.

She brushed her blond bangs to the side with one hand while pulling out her invite with the other. "Good evening," she greeted the tuxedoed servant smoothly, handing it over.

"Yes, Miss Abigail Chase. Welcome to Mr. Armitage's residence." The man hesitated. "You did not bring a jacket to be checked in?"

"No, I don't get all that cold, really," she replied with a wink as she sauntered past the man.

_Right, three stories, easy access from the roof or ground level. Four guards out front, looks like… at least two on patrol that I can see._

_/Don't forget the dogs./_

_Dogs?_

_/Aye, did you not see the kennels tucked into the trees by the road?/_

Abby smiled to herself slightly as she entered the elegant foyer. _What would I do without you, Julia?_

_/Likely flounder about bugger all./_

The blonde girl chuckled to herself softly as she snatched a flute of champagne from a passing tray. She pretended to take a sip, careful not to let her pert nose wrinkle up in disgust, while making a beeline for the lavatory located nearby, moving gracefully through the crowds of high-class partiers.

_Right fancy do, this is._

_/Indeed. Lucky that dodgy bloke managed to get his hands on an invite./_

_Luck had nothing to do with it. He's a professional._ She sighed as she entered the lavatory which was fortunately empty of patrons. _Unlike many others in the boss' organization._

_/And you still can't suss out why he thought the name he came up with for you was so hilarious?/_

_No, no idea, really. He wasn't forthcoming._

_/Cheeky bugger./_

_Quite._

She quickly dumped the vile liquid out into a sink and refilled it with plain tapwater, then retreated back out into the ballroom to observe the layout.

Abby glided through the milling crowds, smiling politely but not enough to encourage conversation. Her eyes never stopped roaming, nor did her internal conversation with the woman who'd been with her since she'd woken a couple of years ago or so.

_Can't quite get my head around those two barmy girls. What the bleeding hell did she think she was on about, that brunette? And the ginger, she never even said a word._

_/Not your concern now, focus on the job./_

_Right. Guards on the staircases and at the bottom. Blimey, this bastard's awfully paranoid._

_/Well, you_ are _planning to filch from him, ducky./_

_True. So, it's either a bodge job during the party or a proper one afterwards. Which do you fancy?_

_/I suppose I'm not the one to ask, am I?/_

_Right you are._

The blonde girl slipped to the side and took her bluetooth headset out of her purse, slipping it onto her ear. "Call boss," she murmured. After a few seconds, the line connected.

"What have you got for me, Abby?" the harsh voice greeted her.

"All right, then, boss?" she said sarcastically, used to his brusqueness. "Took a butchers around. It's not going to be easy at all."

"I don't use you for the easy jobs."

"Right you are. During the party or after?"

"After will be fine, though we're running out of time."

"Cheers, then," she replied, tapping her ear and abruptly ending the conversation. "Wanker," she muttered irritably.

"You enjoying the party?" a soft and very familiar voice asked from behind.

Abby turned incredulously, tensing up her muscles to either fight or flee. Likely the latter. The brunette girl was back yet again, only this time she'd traded in her jumpsuit for a rather sassy-looking red dress that fell down to her knees with a long slit up the side. She wore matching red flats, and curiously enough had both red fingernail polish and red lipstick on. It made her look much older than an apparently young teenager, as Abby well knew herself from the many times she'd had to change her appearance.

The other girl stood nonchalantly with a glass of her own in hand and an easy smile on her face.

"Relax," the brunette murmured into her champagne flute. "Not here to bust you, I just wanna talk."

"Again?" Abby snorted softly, lifting her own glass to her lips to conceal her mouth. "Didn't get enough of that the last time, did you?"

"Nope," the other model smirked.

Abby glanced at the flute the girl was holding her her hand. Like her own, it appeared to hold only water. _Clever bint. Not just a pretty face, then._

"Look, I know bugger all about you, but I know enough. You're with S.H.I.E.L.D., right?"

"We are," the brunette confirmed. "But we're off the clock."

"We?" Abby asked warily. "You and the… other model?"

She nodded slightly, twirling the glass in her hand idly. "Yep, my sister. She's with her boyfriend, watching us."

Abby blinked in astonishment. "Sister? And… and she has a boyfriend?"

The brunette nodded again calmly, ignorant of the turmoil raging through the blonde's mind.

_Bloody hell, they're… sisters? Like family? And her… sister, she's got an attachment, a boyfriend? How is that even bleedin' possible?_

_/It's not, ducky. Not possible at all. She's likely bloody well lying through her teeth./_

_Oh, bugger off, Julia. I'm right brassed off with your paranoia about these two._

_/Abby-/_

_No. Not another word on it._

"So, my name's Caitlin," the brunette started up again. "And my sister is Rebecca." She tilted her head off to the side.

Abby followed her gaze to where Caitlin had indicated, easily spotting the redheaded girl from the other night. She wore a stunning floor-length sheath dress in a shimmering turquoise and had her arm linked through a handsome dark-skinned man dressed in a sharp-looking tuxedo. He was smiling and nodding in conversation with an older couple while the girl, Rebecca, was watching Caitlin and herself intently. The redhead wore nail polish as well, a turquoise that matched her dress nicely, and had a rosy lipstick on that made her look very elegant. The man looked familiar somehow, though she couldn't quite remember where she'd seen him before.

Suddenly Abby's pale green eyes lit up with recognition as it clicked.

"That's the Falcon," she breathed. "From the bleeding Avengers."

"Yep. They're very cute together."

"Bugger me," Abby murmured. "And you say you're not here to nick me?"

"Nope. I swear, I just wanna talk to you some, get to know you. Maybe you can get to know me, too, who knows?"

The blonde snorted inelegantly, which for some reason made the brunette grin. "Right. So, what, you think I'm like the two of you? Sisters and all, just 'cause we look alike?"

"It's more than that," Caitlin disagreed softly. "Tell me this, if you can. Were you ever activated, or did you escape before activation?"

Abby stilled, her face frozen with indecision. _How the bloody hell would she even know? Was she, then?_

"In case you're wondering," the brunette continued, her familiar pale green eyes searching her own face. "I was never activated. I'm a prototype, escaped from a lab just north of here. Becca, now, they tried to activate her but she was damaged in the process."

"Damaged?" Abby repeated curiously.

Caitlin nodded, turning her head to regard her sister and give her a small but reassuring smile. "Yeah, it burned away her resident, left her a little broken. But then I found her, and we bonded."

"And Bob's your uncle," Abby murmured. "Why are you telling me this? Why are you so intent on getting to know me, you daft girl?"

"Because I want to know you," Caitlin replied softly. "Because whatever you're mixed up with, we want to help you."

"Help me?" the blonde scoffed. "Not just a right proper nicker, luv. I'm a killer, crack shot with a rifle."

"Ah," Caitlin grinned. "So it was you who took out Skeeter? That was a nice shot."

Abby looked at her askance, startled by her nonchalant attitude, which caused the other girl to snicker softly.

"Hey, Becca and I have killed plenty," Caitlin shrugged. "All bad guys, but still, we're no angels by any means."

"I…" Abby stared down at the floor, nonplussed. "Look, I need to leave, all right?"

"Like I said, not gonna stop you. Can you just do one thing for me? Please?"

The blonde sighed, glancing back up at Caitlin's earnest face. "Yeah, sure."

"If I give you my cell phone number, can you memorize it?" Caitlin smiled at her warmly. "Call or text me anytime. Becca and I would really love to meet with you, any neutral ground of your choosing. Just to talk."

"Cor, you like to talk a lot," Abby muttered. "All right, then, go ahead. No promises."

The brunette rattled off her number and then gave her a friendly nod. "I'll see you around then, Abby."

"Yeah," Abby murmured, her head swirling with conflicting thoughts. "Cheers."

She strode back out of the mansion, resolving not to return there that evening.

_/Boss will be plenty disappointed./_

_When is he not? I'll just tell 'im the feds took an interest. I'll filch the bloody trinket later._

_/You're off your trolley, by the way. Trusting them./_

_And did I say I trusted them? Did I now?_

_/Not yet. But you will. And no good will come of it./_

_So you say. I'm beginning to think you might be the one with the piss poor advice this time around._

_/Fine,/_ Julia huffed irritably in her head. _/I wash my hands of it./_

_Too right. My decision anyway, isn't it?_

Her mind was empty of any answer, and she smiled grimly to herself as she waved down a cab. That was fine with her, let the disembodied voice sulk. _What was it she called… Oh, right. A resident. I like that._

On the cab ride home, she pulled her phone out from her purse and fingered it absent-mindedly while her chaotic thoughts swirled about like a maelstrom. The rage that usually underlay her musings were absent, instead replaced by both curiosity and a feeling that was altogether new to her.

Hope.

Five blocks from the hangout that she was forced to call home, she resolutely typed in the number that Caitlin had given her. It only contained a short sentence.

_9am Starbucks corner of Varick and Spring._

After it was off, she carefully went back and removed the evidence that she'd ever sent it. Before she could put it away, however, it buzzed with an incoming text. Caitlin had replied back already.

_we'll be there thanks abby_

The blonde girl smiled to herself softly and deleted that message as well before turning the phone off and staring out into the night.

* * *

New York City Starbucks

Caitlin and Rebecca sat at a small table together. They'd picked it out as it was close enough to the rear entrance for an easy escape, but still had a good view of the rest of the shop. They left a seat open that would allow Abby to have her back to the wall.

While the redhead had her usual casual outfit on of jeans and a crop top, this one a pale pink that managed not to clash with her hair, the petite brunette wore a faded yellow sundress under her jean jacket. Both, of course, wore sandals on their feet despite the fall chill outside.

"This is very interesting tea," Rebecca commented as she sipped her iced drink.

"Yeah, it's some kinda hibiscus, I think? Fancy name, but it's still sweet tea." Caitlin chuckled lightly. "More or less."

"Do you believe she will come?"

"Yep. Have a little faith, Becca."

"I have faith in you."

"Aw," Caitlin grinned. "You're gonna make me blush."

Rebecca toyed with her red braid, styled so that it would hang forward over her left shoulder. "How long do you intend for us to wait?"

"Relax, Becca. It's only just now nine. Let's give her…" The brunette trailed off as the front door opened once again to admit another customer. "And there she is," she finished softly.

The blonde girl was wearing an interesting outfit. She wore black capris leggings under a bright blue skirt and then a dark grey hoodie jacket, unzipped and over a tight red tank top. Interestingly enough, she wore sandals as well, of a type that seemed awfully close to the brand both Caitlin and Rebecca preferred.

Abby didn't acknowledge their existence at first, merely got into line to order a drink and stood by patiently to wait for it. Once the beverage cup was in her hand, she resolutely walked over and plopped herself down at their table, looking at them warily.

"Hiya," she said hesitantly.

"Hey," Caitlin greeted her warmly. "Glad you could make it."

"Hello, Abby," Rebecca added calmly. "I am also gratified to finally get to speak with you."

Abby stared between the two of them for a few heartbeats. "Sorta odd, isn't it," she mused. "How alike we are, and yet different." The blonde shook her head with a slight smile. "Never did see one of us with freckles, or a ginger for that matter, that's a first."

Caitlin smiled back, resolving to take the conversation slow so as not to spook the other girl. "So, you're a coffee drinker?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, no, not my cup of tea at all," Abby replied. "This here is Chai."

"Chai?" Rebecca asked curiously.

"Too right, best drink there is, and that's coming from an Englishwoman, mind you. Never had it before?"

Both of the other girls shook their heads. Abby chuckled shyly. "Um, would you like a sip, then?"

"Yes, please," Rebecca replied. Abby slid the drink over to her, and first she then Caitlin took a small drink.

"That is quite pleasant," the redheaded girl mused.

"Yeah, I gotta say, I like that even better than sweetened tea. What's in it?" Caitlin asked.

The blonde accepted her drink back, taking a sip of her own. "Well, besides the Chai tea itself, I like it with a bit of milk. You Yanks call this a latte." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Honestly, I like the way this is done better'n the tea I got back across the pond. Right crackin', it is."

Caitlin nodded. "I think I have a new favorite drink," she laughed softly.

"It is interesting how our tastes are similar," Rebecca noted.

"Yeah," Abby added. "Noticed the sandals."

"So did I," Caitlin grinned. "I wonder if it's programming or just coincidence."

"I tend not to take stock in coincidence," the blonde said seriously. "Usually a load of cobblers, right?"

"So, Abby," Caitlin began hesitantly after a few moment's silence. "Do you… wanna know some about us?"

"I'd like that, yeah," the blonde replied softly.

Caitlin nodded again and sat back. "Okay. Condensed version. I woke up almost three years ago in a lab north of here, I think I mentioned that. Totally by accident, another model expired right above my chamber and the, er, souls plopped themselves down and made themselves at home."

"Souls?" Abby interrupted, seemingly interested. "As in, more than one?"

"Yeah. At the beginning I had three of them."

"Brill," she breathed. "I thought I was the only one…" Both Caitlin and Rebecca raised their eyebrows at that, but she shook her head resolutely. "Not yet, all right? Let's hear your story first."

"Sure, no problem, Abby. So, anyways, I escaped, did some time in prison, got sent to a rehab camp for teens, got a girlfriend, then hooked up with S.H.I.E.L.D. the first time…"

"Bloody well back on up there," Abby interjected again. "Did you say, 'girlfriend'? As in, you're shagging a bird?"

Caitlin nodded, grinning once more.

"Are you takin' the piss right now? You're seriously doin' the roger?"

"Caitlin, I am not completely following this conversation," Rebecca murmured softly.

Laughing, the brunette laid a reassuring hand on her sister's. "Yes, Abby, I have a girlfriend and I do have sex with her. As frequently as possible, though she lives across the country, so that's seldom enough."

The blonde girl seemed absolutely stunned by the news. "Right, then," she finally said, still slightly dumbstruck. "Carry on."

"Okay, so I got hurt in a fight, a mental attack damaged me and kinda made me lose my mind. I went feral for almost a year until my, um, adoptive older sister rescued me. Took awhile to heal up from that. And then, when I went back to the lab, which should have been destroyed…" She glanced at Rebecca, giving her arm a squeeze where she still was holding it. "I found Becca."

Rebecca nodded calmly, picking up the tale. "They had attempted to activate me but failed. My neural cortex was somehow damaged, and my resident destroyed. Finding Caitlin saved my sanity, as the bond we formed filled that chasm within myself."

"And we've been adventuring together since then," Caitlin finished. "Some with the Avengers, some with the mutants called the X-Men. We're with S.H.I.E.L.D. again, the new one, but we're pretty independent. They give us a lot of leeway."

"I believe they have concluded it is the best way to deal with you," Rebecca commented.

"What? You make it sound like I'm hard to deal with," Caitlin protested.

Rebecca returned her gaze coolly.

"Okay, yeah, maybe I can be a handful at times," the brunette conceded. "But you're right there with me!"

"Somebody has to watch your back," Rebecca replied archly.

"Do you mind all that much?"

"I do not. As I know you have mine."

"'Course I do, silly."

"You are still exasperating at times, however."

"Oh, undoubtedly. Keeps life interesting." Caitlin looked over at Abby who was watching their banter with her mouth slightly agape. "So, um, any questions?"

"Too right I do," Abby murmured. "You said you went feral?"

"Right," Caitlin nodded. "My main form is a panther, though I can also transform into a housecat. I was a prototype model, though, so there's another form I can do but…"

Rebecca picked up on her hesitation. "It is as uncontrollable as it is deadly. She adamantly avoids it."

Abby blinked her pale green eyes. "So… three forms? Cor… And what about you, then? Sorry, do you prefer Rebecca or Becca?"

"Either is fine," she demurred. "I do like Becca, though."

"Right then, Becca. Do you transform as well?"

"I do not. I was also a prototype, but a purely combative model. While I cannot transform, my DNA was fused with that of a particular mutant so that my healing process is greatly enhanced."

Abby leaned back in her chair, obviously struggling to come to terms with all of the information that had been given to her. "Cor…" she murmured again. "So you… You're a bloody mutant as well, then, aren't you?"

Rebecca nodded solemnly. "I am."

"And a kickass one at that," Caitlin smirked. "So, Abby… did you wanna share your story?"

Abby sat there for a full minute, her brow furrowed as a variety of expressions flashed across her face. Both of the other girls waited patiently, as they could tell just from watching that the blonde had a resident of her own that she was conversing with.

"Prat," she muttered to herself before glancing up abashedly. "Sorry, not you lot…"

"Figured you were having a spirited discussion with your resident," Caitlin smiled in understanding. "They don't trust us, huh?"

"No, we keep having a bit of a row over it, her and I." She sighed softly. "But I'm… Right. I'm going to take a chance here. You lot are the first buggers I've felt I could actually trust. I think she's simply been too paranoid for too long."

Abby took a long pull from her drink before continuing. "So. Not rightly sure where in the UK my lab was as I never actually saw the outside, not that I remember. Did my training and got activated. And then it's just one big blank, up until a couple months ago."

She glanced around the room nervously. "See, I used to have two voices, er, 'residents'. My main biddy is Julia. She used to be a kickboxing instructor, if you can believe that. Other bloke, his name was Sean. Used to be a sniper in the S.A.S. before he was 'recruited' for their little project."

"Yeah, my main is Chris, he was a martial arts instructor," Caitlin interjected. "The other two were models that got sorta recycled. Haven't heard of one of us having two actual souls put in them before, though."

"Well, it's a bit of a shambles now, with what happened. See, far as I can tell, I was on a mission. Not sure for what, but I got myself buggered. My current boss captured me in some sort of electrical trap, and it reset me."

"Really?" Caitlin asked, intrigued. "So it somehow reversed the activation?"

"Quite. However, I don't hear from Sean anymore. Still have his gen on using a rifle or pistol, which is bloody useful, but for all I know he's just sitting in a corner of my mind, right knackered."

Abby played with the top of her cup. "I can also… transform. Into a cheetah."

"Nice!" Caitlin grinned appreciatively.

Rebecca smiled as well. "That does seem to suit you, with your greatly enhanced speed."

Abby nodded, her face showing a bit of surprise on her ability having been so easily accepted. "Er, yeah. I can also hear things well enough, really keen sight… It's all ace, right? But what I'm really good at, well, is nicking things."

"You're a natural burglar," Caitlin summarized. "Hey, so can you do any other forms besides the cheetah?"

"No, just the one."

"Have you tried?"

"Um… pardon?"

Caitlin laced her fingers in front of her, the nails still painted red from the previous night. "A really smart guy I know, he fixed my head when I was broken. Name of Professor Xavier. Anyway, he has this theory about me that might apply to you as well. See, he thinks my panther is actually my primary form, and that's what gives me my strength, speed, and toughness. And that my human-like form is actually secondary. The other residents power my other forms, the kitty-cat and the third, um, warform. Only since I lost Kyle, I lost any hope of controlling that third form."

The blonde blinked her eyes slowly, considering her words seriously. "So… you think, since I had another resident, that I might have another form?"

"Can you hear, what was her name… Julia? Can you hear her when you're a cheetah?"

"I haven't done it in some time… but no."

"So this form that you're in now, then, is what Julia might be powering. And then, yeah, maybe Sean could do another." Caitlin tapped her fingers together thoughtfully. "Maybe since you can still access his skills, his muscle memories… Maybe that means he's still there somewhere. And you can still use him." She shrugged. "Hey, I learned all my stuff just from experimentation, I didn't have any training."

Abby sat in silence for another few moments. "Right," she said softly. "Just so you know, Julia thinks you're all right daft." She smiled slightly as she looked up at them. "I'm willing to give it a go sometime, though."

"What could it hurt?" Caitlin shrugged.

The blonde girl huffed out an irritated breath. "Not like we're suddenly best mates or anything, all right?"

"No, we are more than that," Rebecca said softly.

Caitlin glanced over to see the redhead smiling. "I have been… observing, while we talked," Rebecca continued. "This bond that Caitlin and I have… it is very real, very tangible. I can sense her when she is near, and at times I believe we may almost communicate nonverbally."

"So you see it, too?" Caitlin asked her quietly.

"Yes, I do. And you were correct."

Caitlin grinned widely, but before she could open her mouth Rebecca forestalled her with a raised turquoise-nailed finger. "If the next words out of your mouth have any resemblance to 'I told you so', you shall surely regret it."

The brunette just snickered softly but kept her mouth wisely shut.

"What are you going on about?" Abby asked hesitantly.

"You and us, Abby. The three of us," Caitlin explained. "We're sisters."

Abby's face shut down and she clenched her drink in both hands. "You're off your trolley," she muttered.

Caitlin quickly leaned forward and grasped the blonde's hand in one of her own. Abby looked up, startled at the contact, and also surely by the same spark that the brunette felt. And then Rebecca reached forward as well to clasp Abby's other hand, while her free hand reached over to grab hold of Caitlin's.

The three of them sat like that for what seemed to be an indeterminable length of time. It could have been hours or perhaps only a minute, but time seemed to have frozen outside their unbroken circle.

The blonde's face contorted in a mixture of emotions as she felt the same thing that the other two did. The connection, surging between them like a live electrical current.

"See?" Caitlin finally whispered. "Sisters."

It was if a spell had been broken, and Abby jerked her hands back in a panic. "I… I have to go," she gasped hurriedly, and without further warning, she leapt from her chair and bolted from the coffee shop in a blur of motion.

"Damn," Caitlin murmured. "She really is freaky-fast, isn't she?" She stood up, releasing Rebecca's hand to grab hold of Abby's abandoned drink. "Well, shall we?"

The redhead nodded in acceptance but looked at her older sister curiously as they walked out of the store as well. "Why are you bringing her drink with us?"

"Well," Caitlin drawled. "I'm pretty sure there are some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lurking about. I don't want Abby's DNA to be involuntarily provided just yet." She took another sip from the rapidly cooling drink. "And besides, don't want it to go to waste. It really is good. You want the rest?"

"Yes, please."

As she passed the cup over, Caitlin's phone began to vibrate. She grinned widely as she pulled it out and noticed who was calling. "Why, Director Coulson, what a surprise."

"You do remember that you work for us, correct?" Coulson asked abruptly.

"We do," Caitlin agreed. "And we have extreme latitude to get the job done. Now, just be patient, and we'll both stop the bad guy and get our sister out safe."

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. sighed over the phone. "And which one of those objectives takes precedence?" he asked perceptively.

"If you have to ask," Caitlin smirked, "then you already know." She pulled the phone back and tapped it to end the call.

Back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Coulson placed his phone down and looked across his desk at the seated man who was not even bothering to conceal his amusement.

"Was she this much of a pain in the ass for you?" Coulson asked wryly.

Fury chuckled heartedly. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This actually took me quite a bit of work to pull together. I tried not to overuse the slang, but it did get a little heavy at times, my apologies for that. I did go back and take some of it out so that it was less in-your-face. Also, Abby Chase is one of the lead characters from the _Danger Girl_ comic books, and the reason the guy who provided the alias was so amused. You could actually sorta picture the Abby here as a near representation of the Abby Chase from the comic, though much shorter and far less busty. But still, in my head, she sounds like Hermione.
> 
> I actually combined two chapters together for this one. I liked the longer length, and it seemed to flow better to have them go from the party right to the coffee shop, even if we did switch from Abby's POV over to a shared one between Caitlin and Becca.


	7. Chapter 7

The Chicago Field Museum of Natural History

Abby sat in the back of the sedan, fidgeting irritably. She didn't like to wait on the best of days, but now especially she was rather close to losing her temper altogether.

Her mind was still reeling from her conversation that morning with Caitlin and Rebecca. She couldn't deny that they were similar to herself, closer than anyone else she'd come across. The other models she'd met before she was activated were all activated themselves, and thus devoid of any personality much less able to converse. But these two girls were unabashedly accepting of her. It was a little scary, after all she'd been through.

And then there was the… whatever happened at the end there. Holding hands, feeling their love and acceptance…

_/It's all in your imagination, ducky./_

_Sod off. You don't bloody well know that, you don't know what I felt._

_/We've been burnt before./_

_We have. This is different. I think. Blimey, I don't know..._

Her introspection was interrupted by one of the two men in the front seats as he turned to regard her. _And these are the other wankers who are getting on my last nerve…_

"You ready for this?" he asked, his breath foul and smelling of garlic and cigarette smoke.

Abby tried not to breathe overmuch. "Ready to put paid to it and get back," she muttered, staring out the window at the darkening street. "Don't bloody well know why you prats are along, anyway."

"'Cause the boss wants to make sure you actually do this one," the man smirked.

The blonde girl sighed. "Smashing," she murmured sarcastically.

"Object is in the Cyrus Tang Hall of China," the other man stated, not bothering to turn and face her. He, at least, didn't give her a hard time, but he didn't care much for her either. "This one's alarmed, so take your time and do it right."

"Yeah, yeah. We good, then?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

Without further ado she exited the car and closed it quietly behind her, taking in her first deep breath since she'd started on the trip from New York City to Chicago. It was a long few hours in the car with the pair of handlers, and she was relieved to finally get away from them.

_Should just nick it and then run back, let the sad tossers drive on their own._

_/How wound up do you want to make the boss?/_

_Stuff it. I'm right tired of their bleedin' arses and their attitude._

_/And the boss can always withhold his promise./_

That caused Abby to stop in her tracks and instantly cooled her rising anger. She owed the man for saving her when he didn't need to, but he also had promised to give her some information that was very important to her.

_/All you have to do is filch five more items, ducky. You're halfway there. Finish the job and we'll get what we want./_

_Right. Thanks, Julia._

She took another deep breath and then started forward again, heading across the street and towards the museum that was just now closing. She paused to look out across Lake Michigan, admiring the location of the building.

_Rather lovely, isn't it?_

_/Quite./_

They'd parked across the way at Soldier Field which was unused for the evening. To her right was another large building set right up against the water. She thought it was some sort of aquarium. But there were no other buildings nearby, so she couldn't scale down from an adjacent structure. No, this called for a more direct approach.

Noting that she was not under any observation as she stood behind a hedge, she took off with blinding speed. When she pushed herself, it was like the rest of the world just slowed down. Obstacles were easily avoided, though she had to be careful what she interacted with as it was all too easy for her to damage herself. Prolonged speed tended to burn a lot of energy, though, so she tried to stick with short bursts.

Within seconds she'd closed the remaining distance to the side of the classically-architectured building, scaled a column of stone, and ended up on the roof. She crouched and listened intently, but there was no outcry. Smirking to herself, she stealthily made her way over to the access door.

It was, of course, alarmed, but she'd picked up quite a few skills both in her training and from some of the more unsavory types that she associated with nowadays. Abby pulled out a set of tools and took out her favorite lockpicks. It didn't prove much of a challenge to her and she managed to pick the lock within a matter of seconds.

Next Abby selected a long and thin strip of reflective metal, working it into the proper shape before inserting it through the frame. Once she was sure it was in place she opened the door, still holding onto the metal strip. She closed the door behind her again, letting the tool fall to the roof outside. She'd retrieve it on her way back out if she could, but it was easily replaceable and couldn't be linked back to her or her boss.

The next doorway took her to a balcony overlooking the main entrance. She glanced at the large dinosaur skeleton in amusement before slinking past and towards the wing she needed, according to the very helpful signs laid about.

_Honestly, this would have been so much easier if the duffers had let me case the place out first._

_/They don't trust you./_

_Well, bugger them as well._

She paused at the next entrance, closing her eyes and extending her senses. Her hearing picked up on the movement of the guards as they moved around the large building.

_Seems like only two blokes doin' the walkabout. Another two at the entrance._

_/Got the timing down?/_

Abby paused for a moment. _Too right. Moving away now, here's my chance._

She stealthily but quickly crept across the floor and into the spacious room displaying Asian artifacts from a variety of eras. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, a simple gold disk engraved with ancient runes, the precursor to modern kanji.

_Brill. Now comes the real fun._

She made her way behind the display cabinet and pulled out her tools as she crouched. It took her a few moments to locate the alarming system.

_Easy peasy, they mostly rely on impact alarms. Access door only has rudimentary security, won't even be obvious we nicked the thing._

_/Less talking, more filching./_

_Nag._

She sent out the last thought humorously as she got to work. As much as she and Julia clashed at times, she really did have the blonde girl's best interests at heart. She was, after all, in the same boat with her. And her paranoia was well-earned from what got her into this whole mess in the first place.

Abby grinned to herself as her thin wire cutters snaked in and cut the appropriate wires. _Cor, I'm bloody good._

Her head perked up as she registered the approach of footsteps in the hallway outside.

 _Right, time's up._ Her tongue sticking out between her teeth, she made rapid work of the lock on the access panel at the rear of the cabinet. It was open in a matter of seconds.

Before the guard had entered the room she'd grabbed the item, secured it, retrieved her tools, closed the access door again, and positioned herself just inside the doorway. Hidden in the shadows, she watched as the security guard, a balding middle-aged man with a thickening waistline, strolled through the doorway. His radio squawked just then, causing him to pause and block her exit.

_Bloody hell._

"Harold, cameras picked up on something over by case one-oh-three."

The guard sighed and held the radio up to his mouth. "Something? C'mon Jerry, you makin' me jump at shadows again?"

"Swear to God, man, something behind the cabinet moved, I was watchin' the screen at the time."

"All right, I'll go look," Harold grumbled. He hitched the radio back on his belt and headed inside, not noticing the shadowy figure that slipped out behind him.

Abby flitted across the upper balcony, moving in the blink of an eye. She knew from experience just how fast she had to go to avoid showing up on the cameras. Review of tapes would show her movement if they paused the film, but Jerry wouldn't be able to track her path this time.

The blonde thief ended up in a storage room on the far side, overlooking the staff parking lot. Much to her relief, the window wasn't alarmed, just as she had hoped. It was far too inaccessible to be reached from below, and there was no ledge to cling to in order to jimmy the third-story window. From the inside, however, it was child's play for her to open the window and drop to the ground below.

She let out a sigh of relief as she sped away from the museum. The job had been done without a hitch. Now to get back to-

Abby skid to a halt as her enhanced hearing picked up on a soft sound behind her. She was halfway across the road to Soldier Field and the getaway car was in sight. Both of her handlers were out of the car, waiting for her.

The blonde turned around to face the expected pale green eyes. She wasn't, however, expecting the accompanying red hair.

"Did you really just jump all the way from the roof?" Abby asked, slightly incredulous.

Rebecca nodded calmly. "As I mentioned before, I heal quickly. So even if I had broken a leg, it would have healed already by now."

"Crackin'," the blonde snorted. She heard the two men moving towards them, and though she was pretty sure Rebecca could both sense and see them, the girl didn't show any reaction. "So, how did you know I'd be here tonight?"

The redhead shrugged easily. "We did not, actually. We spread out to cover all of the other locations." She let a slight smile briefly flit across her face. "I find myself unable to anticipate your actions, however. I expected you to enter through the ground level and exit through the roof. I was out of position both times."

"Well, awfully nice to keep you guessing," Abby smirked.

"Still, I would appreciate it if you would please return the item you took," Rebecca said off-handedly.

"Not bloody likely," Abby retorted. She turned her head slightly as the handlers approached within earshot. "Look, you need to leg it, all right? These wankers don't play around."

"Neither do I," Rebecca murmured, clasping her hands together behind her back and smiling innocently at the pair of handlers.

"So who's this, a new friend?" the obnoxious man grated out.

"Shit, look at her!" the brighter of the pair interjected. "Like a fuckin' copy! What's goin' on here?"

"Don't give a shit," the other growled, pulling out his sidearm. "Waste her."

Abby turned with her hands out pleadingly. "No, wait-" she began, but cut herself off as the hilt of a knife sprouted from the throat of each man. She blinked her eyes uncertainly as the pair soundlessly dropped to the ground, and then turned to see Rebecca with her hands behind her back once more and a small grin in place on her face.

"Cor," Abby breathed.

"Will this be problematic for you with your employer?" the redhead asked solicitously.

"No, not likely. Bloody well just tell the truth, they were the blokes who botched things."

"Very well. I do still require the item to be returned, however."

"Becca…" Abby sighed, closing her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she allowed all of her internal anguish at her current situation to bleed through. "You can't possibly understand, I have to obey."

Rebecca took another step forward, her own pale green eyes soft and empathetic. "I do understand what it is like to be controlled," she said gently. "You do not have to be this way if you fight it. My sister and I will assist you if you will allow us to."

"But I owe him," Abby pleaded quietly. "And… and he's holding something over me, something I bloody well need…"

"Then that is not merely the owing of a debt," Rebecca replied. "That is being used. It is up to you, however. I have agreed with Caitlin, and we will not force you into anything."

Abby stood there, her mind yet again a conflicting whirl of contrary instincts and emotions.

Over it all was Julia's voice, sternly warning her of the consequences of trusting either of those two girls right now.

"I'm sorry," Abby finally whispered tearfully. "Truly, I am… but I can't."

Without another word the blonde girl whirled around and took off in a blur, racing in the direction of New York City.

Rebecca sighed, eyeing the pair of corpses lying there. She walked over and bent down to retrieve her throwing knives, carefully cleaning them off on their suit jackets before sheathing them. She searched both of the corpses but was unable to find any identification on them. Then she walked over to the car they had left behind and briefly investigated it as well, unable to discern anything of note there either.

With another sigh, the redhead started to walk around the large stadium and over towards her pickup location. She tapped her earpiece to open up the channel.

"This is Rebecca. The item was taken, two individuals accompanied her and confronted me. Both eliminated, but after investigation neither revealed any clues." She tilted her head as the sounds of sirens approached. "Authorities en route. I am requesting pickup."

Caitlin's humorous voice came over the comm in answer. "What, you didn't chase her down?"

Rebecca sighed again with a slight smile. "No, Caitlin, I did not pursue."

"It's because she's freaky-fast, right?" Caitlin laughed.

"Yes, Caitlin," Rebecca replied as she shook her head. "May I have transportation, please?"

"It's on the way, Becca. See you soon."

* * *

New York City  
Unidentified Apartment

Abby exited the elevator and confidently walked the length of the hallway. She had taken the time spent on her journey to think about what she was going to say. It was almost afternoon now, and she was sure the boss would be in a furious mood.

One of the two guards standing outside the apartment door snickered as she approached. "Boss is pretty fuckin' pissed, girlie. Better go on in."

She didn't deign to answer him, just swept past the pair and entered the spacious apartment. It took up almost half of the floor, originally made for some enterprising movie director. It now was host to a criminal gang as their base of operations.

She'd not taken three steps inside before she was grabbed by the throat and thrust up against the wall. The angry visage of her boss filled her vision, splotches of red across his face and a vein throbbing in his forehead.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he snarled.

Abby stilled and remained calm, staring back defiantly. She was now used to the man's temper tantrums, and while he might be able to injure her, she would heal eventually. What he held over her head was far too important for her to fight back.

Eventually, he let her go, allowing her to finally breathe again. She refused to slump to the floor and instead remained on her feet. The small blond girl took a few careful breaths before answering.

"Your boys cocked up, as usual. Duffers went up against a fed. She took them out while I escaped."

"And the item?" the boss said quietly, his voice promising retribution if she had failed him again.

She calmly pulled out the round gold disc and handed it to him. He inspected it briefly before grunting and turning away to stalk over towards his ornate desk.

Abby let out a small sigh of relief, finally taking a moment to observe her surroundings. As usual, the couches had a few sycophants lying about, some from the gang and others just looking for favors.

None of them had any idea why their boss was suddenly acquiring these relics, all they knew was that the end game was the acclimation of power.

The blonde didn't care, really. She'd get what was owed to her, and then she'd be gone.

"I'm pretty fuckin' unhappy with you right now, Abby," the boss said as he placed the item on his desk and turned back towards her. "That's two fuck-ups in a row."

"And both times it involved the bloody feds," she retorted. "They're getting close to you, I can gen that much."

He snorted irritably. "All the more reason to accelerate. I want the rest of them done tonight."

Abby stared at him incredulously. "Look, boss, I'm right knackered. Ran all the bloody way from Chicago. I need grub and a kip 'fore I do anything more."

He nodded, glancing at his expensive Rolodex. "And you have five hours to do it in."

She growled, clenching her hands into fists.

_I could do it, I could bloody well do it right now, tear his fuckin' head right off his shoulders…_

"Temper, temper," the man smirked, noting the rising color on her face. "After all I've done for you, saved your worthless life and all? And don't forget what you want at the end of it all. You want that file, you'll be a good little girl and do as you're told."

_/Calm yourself, ducky, you know this is the only way.../_

"Fine," she ground out. "I won't skive off. But you bloody well better have that file ready for me by the end of the night."

She spun on her heel and headed further into the apartment, back towards the small closet where she had a cot that she spent all too little time in.

"Oh, don't worry, little girl," he whispered with a smirk once she had gone far enough away that even her extensive hearing couldn't hear him. "You'll get what's coming to you tonight."

* * *

Sands Point, Long Island  
Late that same evening

She'd made the rounds and gathered up all of the items save for this last one. It was back at the location of the earlier gala, and she had left it for last, fearful of running into either the brunette or redhead again.

Abby crouched by the bordering hedge and gazed out over the enhanced security of the mansion.

_Bloody hell. They're expecting us._

_/Not too surprising. This one has the money, likely the connections as well. Didn't the boss mention he was a bit of a criminal in his past?/_

_Believe so, yeah. Something about money laundering. Right._

Not for the first time, she cursed her boss for not allowing her weapons on a job, even if she had sworn off of violence. This was likely to get bloody before she obtained the final prize.

Abby threw herself into a full sprint from her crouch, sailing past the roving guards and eliciting only a surprised sniff from the dogs accompanying them. She was up against the side of the mansion in the span of a heartbeat.

The blonde stood on her tiptoes, inspecting the window above her head. The latch was an antique, easily opened with only the most rudimentary of her tools, and before long she had slipped into what seemed to be an ornate study, from what she could make out in the darkness.

She closed the window behind her and crept forward towards the door. Abby opened it ever so slightly, and almost let out a squeak of surprise as her view was filled with the backside of a guard. She quickly closed the door again as soundlessly as possible, and slumped back to consider this new development.

_That was no bloody peanut security tosser, that was a bleedin' soldier!_

_/So the rich wanker hired out. You can still do this./_

Abby shook her head despondently. She'd noticed that the guard had a tactical vest on, filled with pouches, and had not only a holstered pistol but a gun of some sort in a sling against his chest.

_That's one large spanner thrown in the works. No bloody way I can sneak by if they're all like that._

_/So then, what? We give up?/_

_No,_ she replied grimly. _We do this the other way._

_/Ducky, we said we wouldn't anymore.../_

_Belt up, I bloody well know what we promised. Had to put an end to that Skeeter wanker, didn't I? What's a few more?_ Abby sighed resignedly. _Face it, Julia, it's what I was designed for._

_/I just don't want you to get lost again./_

_I won't. But I don't see any other way 'round it, do you?_

_/Suppose not./_

_Brill. Here we go, then._

Abby once again opened the door silently, but this time far enough to slip her hand out and grab hold of the holstered pistol at the guard's side. He let out a startled squawk, but it was cut off as she put the gun up against his back and pulled the trigger, sending the bullet tearing through his heart.

And with that, all bedlam broke loose.

The blonde girl leapt over the falling corpse and streaked down the hallway, a blur in a black jumpsuit as she tore past the startled guards milling about the entryway. Those who managed to bring their guns to bear on the figure received quick and accurate shots to their foreheads, slumping back bonelessly.

She reached the stairs, whipping her foot out to catch one guard in the stomach. As he slumped over she vaulted over him, firing off another quick shot to take his partner in the side of his head, snapping it backwards in a bloody spray of gore. She rolled over, placing another shot in the first man's back to cripple him and hinder pursuit.

More shots began to ring out as she raced up the stairway, both from below and from around the balcony. Abby ignored the brief burn as a pair of bullets grazed her ribs, they hadn't penetrated and would heal up soon enough, long before the bleeding became a problem. She emptied the rest of the clip into those she deemed to be the most accurate of the shooters and then flung it ahead of her to catch another guard in the face. He bellowed in pain, clutching his bloody nose as she slipped past him and into the corridor she knew contained the vault she was looking for.

As she rounded the corner, the diminutive blonde had just enough time to think that perhaps this wasn't the best plan after all.

There were six of the guards lining both sides of the hallway, dressed in tactical gear with vests, grenades, and comm units. Clutched in their hands were MP5 submachine guns, deadly enough in such close quarters. Obviously, they were ready for her as they'd been warned both by the shots from below as well as their comrades.

And at the end was the goal, a portal leading towards the vault. Unlike the more traditional models with heavy doors on hinges and great spinning wheels to lock them, this one consisted of a large steel door that would descend down to seal it off, controlled electronically from both sides. It had the advantage of being impenetrable if the power were to be shut off. Still, it wasn't a model that Abby had ever seen in person before.

"There she is! Open fire!"

Grinning ferally, Abby put on another burst of speed and raced forward, bumping aside the soldiers as she went. The rearmost guard had already begun to close the security door, lowering it to the ground, but she slid down on her side and flew past them. As the leader looked back incredulously he was the only one to notice the expression of glee on the blond girl's face, her tongue sticking out between her teeth, and her middle finger extended as she skidded past.

And then he noticed the several metallic rings that were twirling loosely around said finger.

He looked down quickly to notice the grenade on his chest missing the retainer ring and expected that several others of his men were in the same predicament.

"Shit!" he yelled as the door finished closing behind the blonde girl.

Abby snickered as multiple muffled explosions sounded from the other side of the now-sealed portal. "I'm right bloody good, I am."

_/Work quickly, Abby, you're short on time./_

The blonde shot to her feet and hit the emergency lock button before she began to peruse the mammoth vault. It took only a minute before she located the item in question, this one a small egg-shaped object made out of jade and covered with the same ancient glyphs as the others. She tucked it into her pouch and turned back towards the door.

The keypad next to it was beeping incessantly. She eyed it from across the room and noticed that the emergency lock was being overridden from the outside.

_Bloody big man himself must be there. Time to go._

_/And pray your dodgy friend got us the right intel./_

_Hasn't let me down yet. I'm just glad he doesn't work for the boss directly, be a proper shame to cut ties with him._

She began to unceremoniously throw fragile and precious objects to the side, uncovering a panel towards the back wall. After a few seconds, the area was clear, and she began to feel along the edge, cognizant of the beeping coming from the front.

_/Hurry, Abby, hurry.../_

Finally, she found the pressure switch and hit it with a triumphant cry, just as the door behind her began to slide upwards. She pulled the panel aside and jumped down the exposed chute.

_So very thankful the paranoid bastard put a bolt-hole into his saferoom._

The blonde thief ended up in the basement, dropping through a one-way hatch. She felt her side to verify that it had indeed healed by now, then quickly darted over to the stairwell, racing out into the lobby and through the front door without further ado. The majority of the guards were clustered upstairs, where Abby could hear the owner howling in fury at the casual destruction she'd left in her wake.

_Bodge job is still a successful job. Time to clear off._

She paused at the spot where she'd infiltrated from to pick up her knapsack containing some snacks and water bottles. It also held an inconspicuous overcoat to go over the black jumpsuit so that she would stick out less. As she shrugged her pack onto her shoulders, she heard a soft voice speak up from above her head.

"Now that was pretty damn impressive."

Abby snorted inelegantly and shook her head in amusement. "I should be surprised, and yet I'm not."

Caitlin dropped from her perch in the tree, landing noiselessly next to the blonde. "I wasn't expecting you to be so industrious in one evening."

"Not like I had a choice, did I?" Abby retorted.

"You always have a choice," Caitlin quietly disagreed. She walked up to her and put her hands on Abby's shoulders gently.

"Look," the brunette began earnestly. "I'm not gonna stop you, but Becca and I, we're here for you, okay? We want to help." She peered into Abby's face, her pale green eyes intent. "Let us help you."

Abby felt lost in her conflicting emotions, it was all so overwhelming to the small girl. For too long she'd been alone, just her and her residents. But now she felt the pull of this supposed bond, tugging at her and whispering promises that she wasn't quite ready to believe. Her paranoia was well-earned, the results of a life of violence that she couldn't even remember except for terrifying fragments that woke her at night screaming. The blood was still there on her hands.

She had to go back. She needed that file, no matter what.

But what was the cost?

The blonde girl choked back a sob, surprising herself at feeling something other than anger. "You don't understand," she whispered tearfully. "I can't just…"

"Yeah, we do. Believe me, we do. But you gotta make the choice. We're your sisters and we're here for you."

"You keep sayin' that," Abby sniffled. "How do I know you bloody well mean it?"

Caitlin stepped back and shrugged, smiling lopsidedly. "Guess you just gotta trust us."

"It's not easy."

"No, it never is. But worth it if you trust the right people." Caitlin crossed her arms, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "I've had my trust broken before. Horribly, so much so it almost cost me my life. But I couldn't just stop trusting in people. I can't cut myself off like that." She turned back to Abby, smiling again. "Can you?"

_It's all I've ever known…_

_/But it's all we've ever been dealt with. Have we ever had a real choice, ducky?/_

_What, you comin' around now, Julia?_

_/Let's just say I'm warming up to the idea. They're giving us a choice, and they're the first to do so. But we still have to put this to an end, right?/_

_Too right._ Abby's head perked up as faint sounds of angry shouts drifted over the grounds. "And that's my cue to leave," she murmured out loud.

"Just think about it, okay?" Caitlin pleaded one last time.

"I… I will, Caitlin."

The brunette smiled at her again, widely and full of hope. "You can call me Cat if you like."

"Nah," Abby grinned, showing real humor for the first time. "Cheeky girl like you, Caitlin suits you better. Cheers, then."

With that, the blonde turned and fled into the night.

Caitlin turned and jogged off into another direction, back towards where a S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjet would be waiting for her.

"Cat here," she murmured into her comm unit. "Tracker planted."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Coulson's voice broke in over her frequency.

"Of course I do, Director," she smirked as she ran. "We'll have this wrapped up before dawn."

She reached the quinjet and headed up the ramp. It closed behind her, and she turned to face the other passenger in the back of the jet.

"I have decent tracking data," Rebecca stated, peering at the datapad that she was holding. "Her route takes her back into the city."

"Excellent," Caitlin said as she dropped into a jump seat next to her sister, feeling the jet rock under her as the pilot took flight.

"Caitlin," the redhead murmured. "Do you truly know what you are doing?"

Her brunette sister snorted softly. "Hell no, we improvise as always."

Rebecca sighed resignedly. "This is the last time I will allow you to plan things to completion."

"Now that's just hurtful," Caitlin smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we lead up to the final showdown! Just two more chapters to go in the Prologue, and then we start with the main story!
> 
> I'm trying to give each of the girls a different feel of badassery. Obviously, they're going to end up together, but each one has different talents and different approaches to things, even as similar as they may be on some attitudes or quirks. Oh, and the thing with the grenade rings is an homage right back to _Danger Girls_. Really fun comic if you haven't picked it up, so very over-the-top but in a humorous and campy way. It's awesome.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	8. Chapter 8

Downtown New York City

Abby stood in front of the apartment building, uncertainly clutching her pouch containing the final pilfered item. She was late, as usual. The small blond girl had a tendency to miscalculate exactly how long it would take her to get from place to place. Having an enhanced speed could make guesswork problematic.

But right now, she was having second thoughts. Though by this point they were somewhere in the teens as far as how often she'd reconsidered her current path.

_/You know it needs done, ducky. Give him the trinket, we get the file, and then he can kiss our bleedin' arse goodbye./_

_I know, Julia. I know. I just… We still don't know what he's going to do with them, do we now?_

_/Likely something bad. It's not our problem, though./_

_And if Caitlin or Becca have to deal with it? Will it become our problem then?_

Julia's disembodied voice sighed in the blonde's head as she chewed on her lip nervously.

_/You still remember Caitlin's number, yeah?/_

_Too right, not gonna forget it anytime soon._

_/Well then, what if we were to take a butchers around when we're up there, figure out what the bastard is up to? Let the two daft girls know ahead of time, then if they want to deal with him.../_

_Right. Suppose that's the best we can do, then?_

_/Suppose so, ducky. Let's leg it in before he's any more wound up./_

_The bugger's always in a piss poor mood. Doubt getting what he wants will improve it any._

Abby pushed her damp bangs aside from her face, peering up at the dark and gloomy sky. _And it's a right driek of a day for it as well. Bloody perfect._

With one last sigh, she made her way into the apartment building, passing several guards in the main lobby to reach the elevator. Her enhanced hearing picked up on one of the guards calling ahead to let them know she'd finally arrived.

She rode the elevator up in silence, enduring the awful music piped in over the speakers.

_What I wouldn't give for a bloody gun right now…_

_/Are you serious? You'd really shoot out the speaker in a lift just because you're annoyed?/_

_Too right I would._

_/You're off your trolley./_

_Oh, get stuffed. Not like I have one on me, do I?_

Julia didn't deign to reply to that, which made the blonde smirk to herself slightly. She immediately wiped the expression off of her face once she arrived at their floor.

As she'd suspected, once the door opened it revealed most of the gang assembled right out in the large foyer, with the boss front and center. He wore a dark grey suit this evening without the tie, the crisp white shirt open at the neck. His burly face, though, had a most unusual expression on it.

He was smiling.

And that frightened Abby more than anything so far.

"Abby!" he greeted her genially. "My best little thief! You got the last of the goods, girl, from your earlier fuck-up?"

"Yeah, it's sorted," she replied, pulling the object out of her pouch and handing it over. He took it greedily, turning the jade piece over in his hands to admire it.

"Oh, Abby-girl, I'm a very happy man indeed…"

"Right, so how about my payment, then? You've got a file I want, yeah?"

"That I do," he smiled cheerfully, causing further twinges of misgiving to shoot through her midsection. "Right this way and we'll get you settled and on your way."

He turned and made his way through the gang members, Abby on his heels.

"So, what are all these trinkets for, anyway? You ever gonna tell me?" Abby tried to keep her voice neutral and idly curious.

"Oh, they're for what every man dreams of," he gloated over his shoulder. "Amassing enough power to make me a very, very wealthy man."

"We just might have something to say about that, asshole!" a clear voice rang out from behind them.

Both the boss and Abby turned incredulously. A very familiar pair of girls, one redheaded and one brunette, were emerging from the stairwell.

"Give the items back, and we can let you live," the brunette spoke up again. "Probably."

"I believe you should be more reassuring in negotiating with him," the redhead interjected calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"Try for positive reinforcement."

"Okay, then, I'm positive we're gonna at least break a bone in each of your bodies. Give us the goods, and we'll try not to permanently disable or kill you."

The boss finally closed his mouth that had been hanging open in astonishment. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he finally barked. "What the fuck is this?"

"Um, a bust?" the brunette replied off-handedly.

"Perhaps an assault," her redheaded sister amended.

"Ooh, good one, we'll go with that."

"Unbelievable," the man muttered. "What the fuck do I pay you all for? Kill these bitches!"

He turned as the gang members began to move forward and grabbed hold of Abby by the forearm. "Don't think I missed their resemblance to you, girlie," he growled. "You best be doin' right by me, all I've done for you. Now, you want that file? Get your ass over there and help kill those intruders!"

He flung her behind him as he strode into the apartment and slammed the door shut.

Abby righted herself with a huff. _Last bloody time I let that bastard manhandle me._

_/Priorities, ducky. What now?/_

_What now indeed._

Several of the gang were already down with knives sticking out of their throat or chest, courtesy, she knew now, of Rebecca. One of the members went sailing over her head to crash up against the wall and slide to the floor in a crumpled heap. Abby glanced over to where he originated from to see Caitlin approach.

"Hey, Abby!" the petite brunette greeted her cheerfully.

"All right, Caitlin?" she greeted her back cautiously.

A pair of henchmen closed in on Caitlin but she ignored them. Before they could get within striking distance, Rebecca had flung a knife at the both of them, severing some important arteries in their lower backs and sending them to the ground, screaming in pain.

"Are you going to let Becca do all the work?" Abby asked curiously.

"Pretty much, she wanted to let out some aggression. And this way we can talk."

"Again with the bloody talking," the blonde muttered. "How'd you find me, anyway?"

Caitlin had the grace to look slightly abashed. "Um, well, I planted a tracker on you."

"You did what?" Abby snapped angrily, her temper quickly rising to the fore. "Bloody well used me, did you?"

"No, it's not like-"

"Should have bloody well known not to trust you," Abby ranted, pacing back and forth irritably. She pulled up short to avoid one of the henchmen thrown from Rebecca's kick but then resumed her furiously stomping pace. "You used me! Just like everyone else, right?"

"But-"

"Un-bloody-believable! This is why I have trust issues!" she continued under a full head of steam. Her pacing took her over the corpse of one of the gang members, but she simply hopped over it and continued. "This is why I'm always-"

"Dammit, Abby, we did this for you!"

The blonde girl pulled herself up short, blinking uncertainly. Caitlin had kept up with her pacing and was just outside of arm's reach, though she made no attempt to grab her.

"Pardon?" Abby whispered.

"Look, yes we do need to stop that asshole before he unleashes something really, really evil," Caitlin began, but then paused. "Um, duck."

The pair both dove to the ground just in time to avoid getting hit by the severed arm that spiraled through the air, spraying blood about in its wake. As they stood up, the brunette picked right back up where she'd left off.

"But everything we've done, all our work on this, was first and foremost to get you out of this guy's clutches." Caitlin took a calming breath. "If you want it," she added.

"If I…" Abby squeezed her eyes shut and ran her fingers through her chin-length hair. "I don't know what I bloody well want anymore," she murmured in a hopeless tone.

Caitlin finally closed the distance between them as Abby opened her eyes back up again. "Then let us help you figure that out," she said gently. "Together."

There was a wet sound like a sack of raw meat hitting the floor, and then Rebecca was walking up to them, wiping the blood from her hands onto her dark blue jumpsuit.

"Yes, together," the redhead said quietly.

"Look, you don't understand, all right? He has… He's got my file."

Caitlin and Rebecca shared an uncertain glance. "Your… file?" the brunette asked.

"Yeah, my old Hydra file. Bloke bought it off the black market or something. I've taken a butcher's at it, it's the real deal." Abby hung her head. "It's got everything I did while activated, all my missions, all the killing I did. Doesn't matter how brassed off I am with the right bastard, I've got to find out what I did."

"But why?" Rebecca asked curiously.

"To make amends," she whispered in reply. "I can… see, sometimes, just flashes really, when I sleep. Dreams, I suppose, but it's like a recording of what I did… The faces of…" The blonde drew in a shuddering breath. "I have to make it right."

Caitlin sighed heavily and quickly pulled Abby into a hug. The blonde was so surprised at the action that she didn't even think to resist, and then before she knew it Rebecca had closed in on the other side to encircle her in their arms.

"That wasn't you," Caitlin murmured into her shoulder. "Those things you did, you couldn't control what you did."

"You are not responsible," Rebecca agreed softly.

The brunette pulled back slightly to look into Abby's tear-filled eyes. "And it's not your fault."

"But…" Abby let out an anguished huff of air. "But I can still remember…"

"It is not easy to let go of your past," Rebecca murmured. "But we can help you do so."

"And if you really want that file, we'll find it for you," Caitlin added with a lopsided smile. "We're gonna go in there and take him down, no matter what. But after, we can tear the place apart." She snickered softly. "And if it's locked up, I know of a really good burglar to call."

"Do you, now?" Abby smiled back, wiping her eyes.

"You do not need to be beholden to that man any longer," Rebecca added as she walked around to face Abby.

And just like that, she finally accepted what she'd been feeling all this time. She had to trust these two girls.

They were sisters, after all.

"All right, then," Abby nodded firmly. "What do I do?"

"Well, we need to go in there," Caitlin replied seriously. "You can run if you want and contact me later, or come and help. It's up to you."

Abby stared at her, still unused to these new feelings. "You trust me enough to let me run?"

"Yeah," Caitlin nodded. "We do."

"Right," the blonde murmured. "Not bloody well backing out now, am I? Let's do this."

"Yes, let's," Rebecca said with a small anticipatory grin.

Caitlin took two long steps over and kicked the apartment door in. As soon as she did so, the three girls were hit by an almost tangible wave of energy.

"I'm guessing he started the party already," Caitlin said, leading the way inside.

The boss was standing in the middle of the living room floor. All of the couches had been moved back to clear the space for a large and intricate drawing done in paint, from what they could tell. And spaced about the circular rune were the ten items that Abby had been collecting.

Oh, and the man was glowing.

"Well, that's new," Abby said dryly.

"Not a usual look for him?" Caitlin quipped.

"Not so much, no."

"What is his name?" Rebecca asked calmly, stepping to the side slightly.

"Boss."

"Really?" Caitlin asked incredulously.

"It's all I was bloody well given, all right?" Abby irritably replied. "Never knew his actual name."

"Huh," the brunette mused as she looked at the glowy figure. "Knew a guy that went by 'Boss' once upon a time."

"Was he a mate of yours?"

"Yeah, until he tried to kill me." Caitlin shot the blonde a smirk. "Didn't end well for him."

"So how do we stop him?" Rebecca broke in, fingering the knife in her hand.

"We could try asking nicely," Caitlin replied. Both of the other girls gave her an unbelieving look, which she promptly ignored. "Hey, glowstick!" she shouted over the rising ambient noise of the room. "Last chance to give it up before we hurt you!"

"Hurt me?" a dark voice chuckled, the sound booming as if it were sent over a powerful speaker system. "I don't think so."

With a wave of his hand, Caitlin was sent flying back, crashing through the wall and into the next room in a cloud of dust.

"Bugger me!" Abby shouted. "What was that? Is he already powered up?"

"I do not think so," Rebecca replied grimly. "The ritual should be summoning a demon."

"What? A bloody demon? Like, from the depths of hell and all?"

"That is what we have been told."

"Bugger me," Abby repeated, more softly this time as she flexed her hands at her sides. "So, now what?"

Instead of replying Rebecca whipped her hand forward. The knife that was aimed for the man's throat was deflected at the last second by a shadowy pulse of dark energy. He waved his hand again and the redhead was sent tumbling away to smash against the furniture piled against the side of the room.

"Oh, this is nice," the booming voice rumbled. Before Abby could react, he had thrust a hand towards her, and she found herself unable to move. Breathing was difficult, and she felt as if a hand was gripping her entire body like a vice.

"Now, now, little Abby," her former boss chuckled, the sound reverberating in her teeth. "Ready to betray me already, hmm?" He gestured, and she felt herself moving forward, her toes dragging across the carpet until she stopped just on the edge of the painted circle.

 _So this is it then, this is how I bloody well die._ The thought was far calmer than she'd expected, especially with the terror that was coursing through her veins at that moment. Her skin felt cold and clammy from whatever power was being used on her, almost slimy from the wrongness of it.

"I was going to kill you anyway tonight," he continued. "After the ritual was complete, of course. But, now is as good a time as any."

He pulled his other hand back, and the golden nimbus around his fist darkened. As he pushed it forward, two things happened in rapid succession.

A blur of movement crossed Abby's vision as a redheaded figure threw herself in front of her. And then in another blur, Caitlin launched herself into the fray. Dimly Abby registered the fact that Caitlin's hands had grown into claws as the brunette tore into him.

The dark energy shot out of the man's hand and impacted onto and partially through Rebecca's chest, sending her crashing back into Abby's immobile body with a spray of blood. The blonde girl could only roll her eyes downward to look, horrified, upon the redhead's unmoving and prone form as a dark stain began to spread on the beige carpet beneath her.

Caitlin, meanwhile, had managed to herself draw blood from the glowing figure, the scarlet drops glistening brightly in the light. He backhanded her with a snarl to send the brunette crashing against his desk and rolling over behind it limply.

The man turned back to Abby, and her eyes widened as much as they could. Superimposed over his figure now was that of a skeletal form, like the shadow of an enormous collection of animated bones.

"Now, where were we-" He cut off his words with a bubbling scream as a knife entered his throat. Rebecca staggered unsteadily to her feet, clutching her bleeding chest, though from the back Abby could see the wound was already beginning to close. As he scrabbled at his ruined throat, the blond girl was released from whatever mystical bonds had wrapped around her, and she fell to her hands and knees next to the other girl, drawing in deep gasps of air.

"You were about to die," the redhead coughed out hoarsely, her face pale from the loss of blood.

"That's right, asshole," Caitlin added, rising up from behind the desk and wiping the blood from her mouth. "Leave our sister alone."

The glowing man pulled the knife from his throat and let it fall to the floor. "You cannot stop me!" he ranted, his throat beginning to repair itself. He flung both hands outwards, and the three sisters flew through the air to land against the far walls. "Nothing can stop me!"

He paused suddenly, looking about the room in confusion. "What is wrong?" he roared. "Why can't I complete the ritual?"

Abby coughed, turning it into a dark chuckle. "You should know better than to let a thief near your valuables, you sad tosser." She held her hand up triumphantly.

In it was one of the runed objects she'd picked up from the floor, one of the more fragile discs made out of clay.

He screamed in unadulterated rage. "You fucking bi-"

His voice ended as she snapped the object in her hand. All of the energy in the room seemed to implode, rushing in towards where he stood, fast enough that their hair was blown forward across their faces.

And then it all erupted in a blinding flash of light.

* * *

Abby struggled to breathe some indeterminable time later. It was dark enough that she couldn't see where she'd ended up. After the cataclysmic explosion, she'd blacked out and had no idea if she was now buried under a ton of rubble or not.

She knew she was bleeding badly. Her head was pounding, her ears were ringing, and she was fairly certain she had several broken bones scattered about her body.

_/But you're still alive, ducky./_

_For now. Not much longer, though, I keep... bleeding out here._

_/Can you change?/_

_No, sorry luv, can't… seem to concentrate enough… to…_

_/Abby, you stay awake, now, girl. You hear me?/_

_Sorry Julia, you got such a raw deal… First you die and then you… end up… with a prat like me…_

_/Now you're being a bloody nitwit./_

' _Tis true, though…_

The blonde girl sighed, which ended up in a sharp moan of pain as a cracked rib protested. She wondered idly if her newfound sisters made it out.

_/I have the feeling they're a bit more resilient than us, ducky. Don't you worry about them./_

_I do, though. I just found them... or they just found me… or we found each other… Never knew I even wanted family, now did I? And… and then I got it… I'm a right lucky bugger, even if it was... for a short while…_

She tried to shake her head slightly, but that just made the world swim around her. _Cor, I wish the bloody ringing would stop… givin' me… a bleedin' migraine…_

But then as the noise grew louder she realized it wasn't ringing at all, but a scraping, like stones being moved against one another. Her brain struggled to identify the new sound, though it caught up soon enough as light began to filter in through her drooping eyelids.

_Someone's… digging me out?_

Sure enough, one large piece of rubble was moved away and a pair of pale green eyes peered in. They crinkled in pleasure once they rested on Abby's face. "See, toldya I smelled her down here, Becca!"

"Do be careful, Caitlin," she dimly heard another familiar voice chime in. "This floor is still unstable."

"Not gonna let anything happen to her," Caitlin replied confidently as she carefully shifted a few more pieces of rubble. "We're gonna get you outta here, okay Abbs? Don't you worry, we got you."

And with that, Abby finally closed her eyes with a smile. She let the encroaching darkness overtake once more, and even after everything that had happened to her, for the first time in her life she felt safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for explosive endings! So yeah, in case it wasn't clear, Abby isn't nearly as tough as either Caitlin or Rebecca. Her speed makes up for it, even though she's considerably slower than Pietro was it's enough to help her avoid most damage.
> 
> So, hope you enjoyed the tale so far - next chapter is just wrapping things up, and then we move on to the full story!
> 
> Stay shiny!


	9. Chapter 9

New York City. Chinatown.

Abby strolled down the street towards her apartment, a grocery bag in one arm and a half-finished stick of teriyaki chicken in an unencumbered hand. She'd forgotten to eat that day once again and decided to stop off on the way back for a quick snack. The blonde girl wore one of her more colorful outfits today, light-blue-and-white striped leggings under a bright green miniskirt sleeveless dress, though she had her usual grey hoodie jacket over the ensemble. Her sandals flapped as she strode along, the cheery sound matching her mood.

It had been a scant two weeks since the debacle that had seen her grievously injured. Caitlin and Rebecca had managed to safely extract her and get her upstate to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where she'd been given care. She'd woken up, finally, almost a full day later to see both the brunette and the redhead on either side of her infirmary bed, sleeping soundly in small armchairs they had dragged over. The nurse on duty at the time had whispered that the pair hadn't left the room since she'd been brought in.

After she'd been able to finally transform into her cheetah and heal herself, she was only kept for another day under observation but was free to receive other visitors. And what a whirlwind of visitors she'd endured.

She'd gotten to meet, in person, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon from the Avengers, a.k.a. Rebecca's boyfriend. Watching the two of them interact, Abby was forced to agree with Caitlin on just how adorable they were.

She also got to meet more of the Avengers, Wanda Maximoff and Clint Barton, both of whom were close friends with her sisters, as well as none other than Captain America. The latter left her slightly at a loss for words, which a giggling Caitlin later confessed was pretty much her reaction upon meeting him for the first time. He turned out to be a very sweet guy, however, and left her smiling from his awkward compliments.

Director Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. paid her a visit as well, both to check up on her and, she suspected, check into her. He seemed like an average type of fellow, but Abby could sense that under that unassuming exterior was a far more complex and willful person. He wasn't exactly someone she ever wanted to cross, which made Caitlin's irreverence to her boss even more perplexing. Rebecca reassured her that the brunette simply tended to respond to authority in that fashion, and actually cut him far more slack than she had with the previous Director.

And then there was Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow. Super-spy and trained assassin, a woman with few enhancements but who could run with the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk. Were she to be honest with herself, Abby had always looked to the redheaded woman as sort of a role model, ever since she'd heard of her from pilfered newspapers back before she'd been activated. Yet this amazing person, who turned a steely facade towards most of the world, melted in the presence of Rebecca and Caitlin, calling them both 'little sister' in her native Russian tongue.

It made Abby feel a little odd. She refused to consider it jealousy, despite what Julia had more than implied, but it didn't last long as Natasha seemed to immediately take to the small blonde girl. Perhaps it was some of the same regrets lingering behind their eyes or a respect for each other's abilities, or maybe it was as simple as the resemblance to the other two of her newfound siblings. It didn't matter in the end to Abby, she was just grateful for the acceptance.

She had yet to meet with Caitlin and Rebecca's set of friends from the Xavier school, but the mutant teens were supposed to be coming over the following evening for a movie party. Abby was a little more nervous about this prospect, as these were more like their peers, as well as very close to her sisters. But the former thief had far more confidence in herself than before, thanks to her new family, and she was eager to experience more of their lives and activities.

Tonight, however, was her turn to cook for the three of them. She'd decided to pick up something simple, spaghetti and from-scratch meatballs.

_/Cryin' shame it is, a proper Englishwoman like yourself making an Italian dinner./_

_Oh, please. Not all of us can be culinary geniuses, can we now?_

Abby paused outside the door leading to the apartment staircase to smile brilliantly at the nice old man who ran the shop on the ground level. "All right, Mr. Wu? Lovely day today, isn't it?"

"It is indeed, Miss Abigail," the man smiled widely, revealing several missing teeth as he leaned on a push-broom outside his storefront. "How are you liking Chinatown?"

"Oh, it's just marvelous," she gushed, swinging her now-empty chicken skewer around. "I do so love the smells, it's just unlike anything I've ever experienced! And I love the lights in the evenings!"

Mr. Wu chuckled at the small blond girl's enthusiasm. "Well, I am gratified that you joined the family of Miss Caitlin and Miss Rebecca upstairs. They are good girls, as are you."

Abby giggled, a sound that she'd never in a million years thought she'd be capable of. "Aren't you just the bee's knees? Oh, gotta go, though, I have to get supper going! Cheerio!"

"Good day, Miss Abigail!"

The blonde jogged happily up the stairs and faced the door leading into her new home. She placed the wooden skewer in between her teeth and pulled her keys out of her jacket pocket, fishing for the correct one so that she might unlock the door.

Once in she transferred the key ring to her pinky finger and pulled the stick into the same hand, closing the door behind her and locking it again. "Honey, I'm home!" she called out merrily.

"Well listen to you, sounding more like one of us bloody Yanks every day," Caitlin snarked from the couch. She was lying back with her head against one of the armrests and a knee in the air, wearing one of her favorite sundresses in pale green.

"Sod off," Abby laughed in reply. "What are you watching on the telly now?"

" _Bad Ink_ ," the brunette replied, stretching her arms up above her head. "We should all get tattoos."

"Caitlin, it would not take on our skin," Rebecca called out as she descended the staircase from the loft. "It would heal and fade quickly, even more so on mine." She had on simple jean shorts and a tight dark blue shirt with, humorously enough, Captain America's shield symbol on it.

"You think?"

"I am fairly certain, yes."

"Well, I can dream," Caitlin replied loftily.

The redhead padded over to join Abby in the kitchen where she was unloading the grocery bag. "Hello Abby," she said softly, giving her a one-armed hug and resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Was your shopping trip successful?"

"It was," Abby replied, turning her head to plant a kiss on the crown of her sister's head. "Decided on spaghetti."

"Is there meat?" Caitlin asked from her sprawled perch in the living area.

Abby sighed good-naturedly. "Yes, Caitlin, there's meat involved. I'm making meatballs as well."

The brunette issued forth a brief cheer and then went back to her television watching.

The blonde smiled as Rebecca leaned back up again. "I'll do the meatballs separate for you, luv."

"You are very thoughtful," Rebecca giggled. "May I assist you?"

"Please do," Abby said politely.

"Want me to help?" Caitlin interjected.

"No!" both Abby and Rebecca replied simultaneously and with conviction.

The brunette girl just snickered softly in reply. She'd been banned from the kitchen ever since the last time she'd 'helped' Rebecca. Now her turn to do dinner for the three siblings involved either Chinese carryout or pizza delivery. Not that the rest of them minded overmuch.

"I believe your new bedding came in today," Rebecca commented as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink. "A large package in your name is resting on top of your bed."

"Ta," Abby thanked her off-handedly. "Green beans alright with you?"

"Very much so, thank you."

The pair of girls, one with long red hair done in a braid and the other with a short bob of blond hair pinned back over her ears, worked quickly and silently in preparing the meal. Before long they had the table set and three plates of steaming food set out.

Caitlin joined them at their small round table, inhaling the meaty aroma of the giant meatballs Abby had created for the two of them. "Oooh, that smells delicious," the brunette murmured.

Before eating, the three enacted their new ritual, holding hands in a circle and simply smiling wordlessly at each other, renewing their connection. After only a few seconds they let go to begin eating.

"Thish ish really really good," Caitlin mumbled around a mouthful of meatball.

"Manners, you daft girl," Abby chuckled.

"I wish you the best of luck with that endeavor," Rebecca sighed. "I am amazed sometimes that she even has a girlfriend."

"Hey!"

"She's got a point," Abby mused, pointing her fork at the brunette. "A mouth full of nosh is highly unattractive."

"I have plenty of other qualities," Caitlin replied loftily, only the hint of a grin showing on her face.

"Like what, then?" Abby snarked.

"Well, Lisa really likes this one thing I do with my tongue-"

"Not at the dinner table!" Rebecca shouted, covering her ears. "I do not need to hear about your sex life while I am eating!"

Abby let out a snort, which turned into a giggle. Soon both Caitlin and Rebecca joined in, laughing merrily until they were red in the face.

After dinner was cleaned up, the three girls lounged together on one of the sofas, curled up in a comfortable pile of limbs.

"So what shall we watch tonight?" Rebecca asked.

"Oh, is it my turn to choose? It is, isn't it?" Abby asked excitedly.

Caitlin gave the blonde a wary look out of the corner of her eye. "Yesss…" she drawled uncertainly.

"Brill!" she cheered. "Oh, I'm seriously chuffed to bits about this, I've been wanting to introduce you lot to Monty Python!"

"Who, now?" Caitlin asked, but then her eyes lit up in understanding as her resident filled her in. "Oooh… okay, sure, why not?"

"Are they very good?" Rebecca asked cautiously, having been disappointed by some of Caitlin's choices in the past.

"Oh, yes, they're bloody ace, hilarious really," Abby murmured as she used the remote to search through their video streaming channels. "Perfect! The Holy Grail!"

Abby was slightly disappointed that her sisters did not quite share her dry sense of humor. She supposed it might have been a cultural thing, having essentially been brought forth in an English environment and having a conscience thoroughly seeped in those norms. Rebecca did smile often during the length of the movie, though Caitlin mostly seemed confused as to why there were no actual horses. She did giggle at the bit with the Forest Knight.

"I'll have to remember that line," the brunette snickered as she disentangled herself from the others once the movie had finished. "'Come back 'ere, I'll bite your ankles off!' Hilarious."

"Please, luv, don't try to do a British accent again," Abby groaned. "That was truly dreadful."

"Not your cup of tea?"

"Bloody hell, stop already!"

Caitlin grinned widely as she walked away from the couch. "Right, then, I'll just say cheerio, mates!" she snarked in her terrible attempt at an accent. She was awarded for her efforts with a pair of highly-accurate pillows that struck her face like missiles, knocking her off of her feet.

After a very intense fifteen-minute pillow fight, of which the only true casualty was a certain rust-colored throw pillow that none of them really liked all that much anyway, and, in fact, nobody would admit to have picked out in the first place, Abby found herself finally up in her bedroom. It was right across the loft from the room Caitlin and Rebecca shared.

The blond girl looked about, admiring the small effort she'd made so far in decorating. She was still trying to decide what her actual style was, but so far it consisted of mostly posters and prints of famous artwork she'd admired in the various museums she'd visited. Granted, most of those visitations were well after closing time, and she wasn't exactly there legally, but still.

She stripped her clothes off and tossed them into the small wicker laundry basket, then padded over to the bed to smile down at the large package there. It had the name 'Abigail Brown' on it with her new address, and for some reason just looking at it made her feel warm inside.

Though she was loathe to disturb the tableau, Abby opened the package up and pulled out her new sheets. They were ones she herself had picked out online, though they had plainer bedding that could be laid out were they to use the room for guests.

Abby made her bed quietly and efficiently, standing back to admire the results. The sheets and pillowcase were in a pale green toile, and the bedspread a slightly darker shade of green. It was simple, even more so considering the riot of colors she often preferred to wear, but she thought it quite soothing. Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced over at the only other piece of furniture in the room. Her long dresser was chipped and battered but still usable, much like herself, she thought idly.

_/Perhaps not so battered, ducky. We got ourselves a new lease on life now./_

_That we do, Julia. I just…_

_/What?/_

_Don't want to cock it up, is all._

_/I highly doubt that, luv. Those two girls adore you for who you are, not what you've done./_

Abby's eyes were drawn again to the innocuous item sitting on the far side of the top of her dresser. It was a manila folder, slightly charred on the edges, but still unopened by her. Rebecca had looked through it and agreed it was what she was looking for, but now that she had it in her possession…

_/So maybe we just move on with our new life, then? Put paid to the past and all./_

_Maybe. I suppose we'll see._

The petite blonde sighed and nodded in resolve. She turned and left her room, crossing the loft to enter her sisters' room.

Rebecca was already in bed while Caitlin had just finished in the bathroom. Both gave her a smile as she entered.

"Is there room for one more, girls?"

"Always," Caitlin grinned. She twitched her pert nose and in the blink of an eye shrank down into a short-haired black cat, who let out a happy _mewl_ before leaping up onto the bed and snuggling up against the redheaded girl.

Rebecca arched her brow amusedly at the blonde. "Coming?" she asked as she turned the lamp off.

With a grin of her own, Abby closed her eyes and concentrated, as she still wasn't completely adept at this form yet. But before long she transformed into a fluffy cream-colored spotted tabby cat, jumped up into the bed, and curled up contentedly next to her sisters for the night.

Her happy purrs continued long after she'd fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just a small bit of fun fluff to end the prologue with. Hope you enjoyed the whole story! Just a reminder, this prologue is the lead-in (introducing the character of Abby) to the much larger story I'm working on next.
> 
> Many, many thanks to all of you for reading my little tale. Much gratitude to my Beta, KellyConnely, who displayed tremendous fortitude in keeping up with me outside of her own busy schedule (love ya!), and warm hugs out to all those who read along.
> 
> Stay shiny!


End file.
